Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 3,856,246 shares, a drop of 13.8% from the January 15th total of 4,475,871 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,173,910 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.8 days. Currently, 2.3% of the company’s shares are short sold. Currently, 2.3% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,173,910 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.8 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on ATO shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $159.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $174.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Sean Donohue sold 450 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.15, for a total transaction of $77,017.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 877 shares in the company, valued at approximately $150,098.55. This trade represents a 33.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $233,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 10.8% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 3,168 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $490,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in Atmos Energy by 8.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 17,312 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,676,000 after purchasing an additional 1,331 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 8.5% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 3,117 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $482,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the period. Finally, Woodline Partners LP grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 43.9% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 13,410 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,073,000 after buying an additional 4,088 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO stock traded down $2.35 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $177.89. The stock had a trading volume of 349,487 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,486,334. Atmos Energy has a twelve month low of $141.59 and a twelve month high of $181.01. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $169.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $169.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.12, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.75.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The utilities provider reported $2.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.21 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.67% and a return on equity of 9.20%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.23 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.150-8.350 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.95%.

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.