M&G PLC Buys 19,331 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

M&G PLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 10.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 210,095 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,331 shares during the quarter. M&G PLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $35,926,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 30.4% in the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 279 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Little House Capital LLC raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 10,733 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,833,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. PAX Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 2.3% during the third quarter. PAX Financial Group LLC now owns 3,178 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $543,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 8.9% in the third quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 868 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $148,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 24.0% in the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 372 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of ATO stock opened at $179.16 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $168.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $169.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $141.59 and a 1 year high of $180.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.27, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.75.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The utilities provider reported $2.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.20% and a net margin of 25.67%.The company had revenue of $1.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.21 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.23 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.150-8.350 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Zacks Research raised shares of Atmos Energy to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $165.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $174.33.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Sean Donohue sold 450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.15, for a total transaction of $77,017.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 877 shares in the company, valued at approximately $150,098.55. The trade was a 33.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

About Atmos Energy

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.