Westwind Capital Purchases 5,706 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Westwind Capital acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 5,706 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $893,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Compound Planning Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,716 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $317,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 0.8% during the first 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 during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 39.1% during the first 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 during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,119 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $193,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amarillo National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Amarillo National Bank now owns 28,641 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,291,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.9%

NYSE ATO traded up $1.47 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $160.68. 2,138,024 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,234,984. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $154.72 and a 52-week high of $192.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $165.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $174.01. The firm has a market cap of $27.15 billion, a PE ratio of 19.13, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.57.

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

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th were issued a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 24th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 47.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ATO shares. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 28th. Argus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $185.00 target price on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Atmos Energy from $173.00 to $167.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $183.58.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director William Ware purchased 300 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

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.