Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Purchases Shares of 586,175 Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 586,175 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $100,980,000. Atmos Energy makes up about 0.6% of Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $34,582,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 30.9% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 486,229 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $81,507,000 after purchasing an additional 114,836 shares in the last quarter. Opal Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the first quarter worth about $6,154,000. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the first quarter worth about $2,558,000. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG grew its position in Atmos Energy by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG now owns 25,985 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,359,000 after buying an additional 5,400 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on ATO. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $182.00 to $191.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, July 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley set a $196.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Atmos Energy from $184.00 to $183.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $188.27.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Atmos Energy news, Director William James Ware bought 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 acquisition, 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $170.60 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $173.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $178.28. The company has a market cap of $28.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.60. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $160.10 and a 12-month high of $192.51. 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 (NYSE:ATO) last issued 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. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 28.50%.The business had revenue of $879.06 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $900.82 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.16 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 24th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.56%.

Atmos Energy 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.