Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Buys New Shares in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 4,477 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $771,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ATO. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $233,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 10.8% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 3,168 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $490,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 8.3% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 17,312 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,676,000 after purchasing an additional 1,331 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 8.5% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 3,117 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $482,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. Finally, Woodline Partners LP increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 43.9% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 13,410 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,073,000 after purchasing an additional 4,088 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director William James Ware bought 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $167.59 per share, with a total value of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 488 shares in the company, valued at $81,783.92. This trade represents a 159.57% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on ATO shares. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $193.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Barclays cut their price target on Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $196.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Argus decreased their target price on Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $187.73.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $169.35 on Thursday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $28.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.60. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $160.10 and a 12 month high of $192.51. The business’s 50-day moving average is $173.49 and its 200 day moving average is $178.29.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 28.50%.The company had revenue of $879.06 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $900.82 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 24th will be issued a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 24th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.56%.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE: ATO) is a U.S.-based natural-gas utility that primarily focuses on the regulated distribution of natural gas. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company operates through local distribution systems to deliver natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and electric generation customers. Atmos’s core activities include pipeline operations, gas distribution, system maintenance and reliability programs designed to ensure safe and continuous service to its customers.

The company’s services encompass gas delivery, system integrity and maintenance, storage and transmission connections, and customer-facing programs such as billing, conservation initiatives and energy-efficiency offerings.