M&G PLC Has $29.38 Million Stake in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

M&G PLC grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 6.0% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 190,764 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,718 shares during the period. M&G PLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $29,378,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ATO. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its position in Atmos Energy by 141.2% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 234 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the second quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 11,200.0% during the second quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 24.0% in the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 372 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $59,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $159.00 price objective (up from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Argus set a $172.00 price objective on Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $185.00 target price (up previously from $182.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 17th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $170.44.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $178.73 on Wednesday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $136.05 and a 52 week high of $180.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.69 billion, a PE ratio of 24.55, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.37. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $171.18 and its 200-day moving average is $162.45.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $754.64 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $726.97 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.05% and a return on equity of 9.00%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.08 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.150-8.350 EPS. Equities 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 an increase from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.87. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 24th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.