Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Stock: Goelzer Investment Management Inc. Increases Holdings

Goelzer Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 408.6% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 34,291 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 27,549 shares during the period. Goelzer Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $5,364,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ATO. Compound Planning Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.7% in the first quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,716 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $317,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 8,153 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,506,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 39.1% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 6.3% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,119 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $193,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amarillo National Bank increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Amarillo National Bank now owns 28,641 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,291,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ATO. Wall Street Zen lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Finally, Argus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $185.00 price target on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. 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.com, Atmos Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $183.00.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $167.48 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.94, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.57. Atmos Energy Corporation has a one year low of $154.72 and a one year high of $192.51. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $164.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $173.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 28.50%. The firm had revenue of $879.06 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $900.82 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th were given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 24th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.62%.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director William Ware purchased 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $81,783.92. The trade was a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

About Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Corporation is a regulated natural gas distribution and pipeline company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The company delivers natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers and is one of the largest natural gas distributors in the United States.

Atmos Energy operates through two primary businesses: natural gas distribution and pipeline and storage operations. Its distribution activities include acquiring, transporting, storing and delivering natural gas, while its pipeline operations provide transportation and storage services and support the company’s distribution network.

The company serves customers across eight states, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.