Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Shares Sold by Securian Asset Management Inc.

Securian Asset Management Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 44.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,305 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,390 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $722,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Allstate Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter valued at about $961,000. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 133.1% during the third quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 39,904 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,814,000 after acquiring an additional 22,784 shares in the last quarter. TABR Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,096,000. Calton & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter valued at about $901,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 182,173 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,853,000 after purchasing an additional 20,408 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE:ATO opened at $180.78 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $30.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.65. Atmos Energy Corporation has a one year low of $149.98 and a one year high of $192.51. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $185.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $177.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $3.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.37 by $0.10. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.59% and a net margin of 27.58%.The company had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.03 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 26th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is presently 49.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on ATO shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded Atmos Energy from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $167.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Truist Financial started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $195.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Atmos Energy from $197.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $182.11.

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.