Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Purchases Shares of 8,081 Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 8,081 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,392,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Garner Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Atmos Energy by 627.3% during the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO opened at $170.60 on Wednesday. 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 52-week low of $160.10 and a 52-week high of $192.51. The company has a 50 day moving average of $173.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $178.28. The company has a market cap of $28.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.60.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 EPS 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $900.82 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.16 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 24th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.56%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William James Ware bought 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $167.59 per share, for a total transaction of $50,277.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 488 shares in the company, valued at $81,783.92. This represents a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATO has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $196.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $193.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Atmos Energy from $192.00 to $184.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price target on Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $188.27.

Atmos Energy Company 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.