Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Stock Acquired by Inspire Investing LLC

Inspire Investing LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 11.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 35,109 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,648 shares during the quarter. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $5,492,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 62,635 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,799,000 after buying an additional 593 shares during the period. MBL Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the third quarter valued at $882,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the third quarter valued at about $82,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the third quarter valued at about $244,000. Finally, Obermeyer Wealth Partners grew its position in Atmos Energy by 2.8% during the third quarter. Obermeyer Wealth Partners now owns 17,273 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,702,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director William Ware acquired 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were bought 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 directly owned 488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $81,783.92. This trade represents a 159.57% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.43% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ATO shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 28th. Argus reissued a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 target price on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $183.27.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $172.49 on Friday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $154.72 and a 12-month high of $192.51. The company has a market cap of $29.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $164.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $172.55.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 28.50%. The company had revenue of $879.06 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $900.82 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th were given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 24th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.62%.

Atmos Energy Profile

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) is a regulated natural gas utility that distributes natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers. The company also operates natural gas pipeline and storage assets, supporting the transportation and management of gas within its service areas.

Atmos Energy serves more than 3 million distribution customers across eight states, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Kansas and Colorado. Its distribution operations include a large network of natural gas pipelines and related infrastructure, while its pipeline and storage business provides transportation and storage services primarily in Texas and Mississippi.

The company traces its history to 1906 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.