3,520 Shares in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Purchased by Plato Investment Management Ltd

Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 3,520 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $603,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AMG National Trust Bank bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,584,000. Horizon Investment Services LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $451,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $611,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $151,166,000. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,081,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director William James Ware bought 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $167.59 per share, with a total value of $50,277.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,783.92. This trade represents a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.43% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.4%

ATO opened at $170.60 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. Atmos Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $160.10 and a twelve month high of $192.51. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $173.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $178.28.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $879.06 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $900.82 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 28.50%.During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 24th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 24th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 47.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $182.00 to $191.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. TD Cowen upped their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, July 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Argus dropped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $188.27.

Atmos Energy 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.