M&G PLC Raises Holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

M&G PLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 6.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 190,764 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,718 shares during the quarter. M&G PLC owned about 0.12% of Atmos Energy worth $29,378,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Forsta AP Fonden increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 60.3% in the 2nd quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 63,300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,755,000 after buying an additional 23,800 shares during the period. National Pension Service increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.8% during the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 206,945 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,892,000 after acquiring an additional 1,659 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter worth about $588,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 40.2% during the second quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 43,323 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,677,000 after purchasing an additional 12,422 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Profund Advisors LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 27.7% in the second quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 7,986 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,231,000 after purchasing an additional 1,732 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on ATO shares. Barclays set a $175.00 price target on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Argus set a $172.00 price target on Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $185.00 price objective (up previously from $182.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Cowen assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, TD Cowen raised Atmos Energy to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $170.44.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.5%

ATO opened at $178.73 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.69 billion, a PE ratio of 24.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.73. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $171.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $162.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.25. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $136.05 and a 12-month high of $180.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $754.64 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $726.97 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.05% and a return on equity of 9.00%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.08 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.150-8.350 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 8th. Investors of record on Monday, November 24th will be issued a $1.00 dividend. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.87. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 24th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.40%.

Atmos Energy Profile

Atmos Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the regulated natural gas distribution, and pipeline and storage businesses in the United States. It operates through two segments, Distribution, and Pipeline and Storage. The Distribution segment is involved in the regulated natural gas distribution and related sales operations in eight states.