Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC Purchases 7,155 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 49.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,766 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,155 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $3,748,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,624,975,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 11.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,199,433 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $775,719,000 after buying an additional 416,933 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $431,677,000. Amundi increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 40.0% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 1,823,714 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $314,171,000 after buying an additional 520,828 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $276,558,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $173.00 to $167.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings lowered Atmos Energy from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $183.27.

Trending Headlines about Atmos Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Atmos Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal Q4 diluted EPS was $1.17, beating the $1.14 consensus and rising from $1.07 a year earlier. The company attributed performance to rate gains and operating strength. Zacks earnings coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Atmos raised its quarterly dividend 9% to $1.09 per share, or $4.36 annualized. The increase may support investor interest in the stock’s income profile. Dividend announcement
• Positive Sentiment: The company outlined a $29 billion five-year capital spending plan and targets 6%–8% EPS growth from its fiscal 2027 midpoint. Its fiscal 2026 spending was $4.2 billion, with more than 85% directed to safety and reliability—investment intended to support infrastructure and earnings growth. Capital plan and growth targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Atmos announced that Kim R. Cocklin plans to retire as board chair at the 2027 annual meeting, with J. Kevin Akers set to succeed him. The transition is planned well in advance. Board transition announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue of $837 million fell short of analysts’ estimates of about $874 million, a counterpoint to the EPS beat and a potential source of investor caution. Earnings results

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Atmos Energy stock opened at $175.63 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $29.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $164.72 and a 200-day moving average of $174.22. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $154.72 and a 52 week high of $192.51.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $837.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $873.77 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 28.50% and a return on equity of 9.63%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.07 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 9.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.09 per share. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 23rd. This represents a $4.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 47.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William Ware acquired 300 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $81,783.92. The trade was a 159.57% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.43% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) is a regulated natural gas utility that distributes natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers. The company also operates natural gas pipeline and storage assets, supporting the transportation and management of gas within its service areas.

Atmos Energy serves more than 3 million distribution customers across eight states, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Kansas and Colorado. Its distribution operations include a large network of natural gas pipelines and related infrastructure, while its pipeline and storage business provides transportation and storage services primarily in Texas and Mississippi.

The company traces its history to 1906 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.