Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Invests $4.06 Million in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 23,552 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,057,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $331,426,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 94.9% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 3,652,267 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $562,851,000 after acquiring an additional 1,778,653 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 26,269.9% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,033,701 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $173,279,000 after acquiring an additional 1,029,781 shares during the period. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 11,893,826 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,993,968,000 after acquiring an additional 927,986 shares during the period. Finally, PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $107,729,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of ATO stock opened at $169.79 on Friday. 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 Corporation has a 52-week low of $160.10 and a 52-week high of $192.51. The company has a market capitalization of $28.69 billion, a PE ratio of 20.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.60. The business’s fifty day moving average is $173.43 and its 200 day moving average is $178.17.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 EPS 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 analysts’ expectations 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 previous year, the business 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 anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 24th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is presently 47.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director William James Ware acquired 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director 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 acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ATO shares. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on 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 began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Atmos Energy from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Argus lowered their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $188.27.

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.