Viking Fund Management LLC Purchases 17,000 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Viking Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 17,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,659,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HBW Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth about $265,000. KG Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $545,000. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,159,000. B.A. Schrock Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $125,000. Finally, Martel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $199,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William Ware purchased 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $167.59 per share, with a total value of $50,277.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $81,783.92. This trade represents a 159.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $163.89 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $164.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $173.34. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $154.72 and a 52-week high of $192.51. The firm has a market cap of $27.70 billion, a PE ratio of 19.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.81.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th were issued a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 24th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Argus restated a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 target price on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of 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. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $188.00 to $179.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, July 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $183.58.

About Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Corporation is a regulated natural gas distribution and pipeline company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The company delivers natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers and is one of the largest natural gas distributors in the United States.

Atmos Energy operates through two primary businesses: natural gas distribution and pipeline and storage operations. Its distribution activities include acquiring, transporting, storing and delivering natural gas, while its pipeline operations provide transportation and storage services and support the company’s distribution network.

The company serves customers across eight states, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.