<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Kesler Norman &amp; Wride LLC raised its stake in  Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 303.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,329 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 7,018 shares during the quarter. Kesler Norman &amp; Wride LLC's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,564,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.</p><ul><li>Powering Up: UGI Banks $685M in Strategic Turnaround</li></ul><p>A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in  Atmos Energy by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,032,554 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,525,687,000 after buying an additional 276,485 shares during the last quarter.  Capital International Investors lifted its position in  Atmos Energy by 3.4% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 10,965,840 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,872,162,000 after buying an additional 359,780 shares during the last quarter.  State Street Corp lifted its position in  Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,630,522 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,815,162,000 after buying an additional 356,942 shares during the last quarter.  Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in  Atmos Energy by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,214,985 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $703,824,000 after purchasing an additional 78,438 shares during the period.  Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in  Atmos Energy by 2.3% during the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 3,737,053 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $638,102,000 after purchasing an additional 84,786 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own  90.17% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.8%</h2><p>Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $168.50 on Wednesday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $182.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $177.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.89. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $149.98 and a 1 year high of $192.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.13 billion, a PE ratio of 20.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.60. </p><ul><li>Utility Gas Inflation Is Soaring. This Stock Is a Clear Winner</li></ul><p>Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $3.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.37 by $0.10. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 27.58% and a return on equity of 9.59%. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.03 earnings per share. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.500 EPS.  Analysts predict that  Atmos Energy Corporation will post 8.44 EPS for the current year. </p><h2>Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement</h2><p>The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 26th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio  is presently 49.14%. </p><h2>Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth</h2><ul><li>Shield Your Portfolio From Aug. 1 Tariffs With This Low-Vol ETF</li></ul><p>ATO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $167.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an &#34;equal weight&#34; rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $182.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock a &#34;neutral&#34; rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley  set a $183.00 price target on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $192.00 to $184.00 and set a &#34;neutral&#34; rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $193.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. One analyst  has rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and a consensus target price of $181.90.</p><p><b>Read Our Latest Report on Atmos Energy</b></p><h2>About Atmos Energy</h2> (Free Report)<p>Atmos Energy Corporation <span>NYSE: ATO<span></span></span> 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.  </p><p>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.</p><h2>Read More</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Atmos Energy</li><li>Marvell Stock Soars on NVIDIA's Trillion-Dollar Nod</li><li>FirstCash Turns Pawn Into a Growth Machine</li><li>HubSpot Just Crushed the Bear Case—Is a Bigger Rally Ahead?</li><li>Aggressive Insider Buying Signals Opportunity in 3 Risky Stocks</li></ul><p><strong>Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ATO?</strong> Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report).</p><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPUFUTw?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPUFUTw"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Atmos Energy Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Atmos Energy, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Atmos Energy wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Atmos Energy currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>Kesler Norman & Wride LLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) by 303.7% in Q4, holding 9,329 shares valued at $1.56 million. Other major investors like Vanguard and Capital International also raised their positions. Atmos Energy recently reported Q1 EPS of $3.47, beating estimates, with revenue of $1.96 billion. The company announced a $1.00 quarterly dividend. Analysts from Barclays, Citigroup, and others adjusted price targets between $183 and $196, reflecting mixed but generally positive outlooks on the utility provider.</p>

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Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Shares Bought by Kesler Norman & Wride LLC