Atmos Energy Corp 8-K, filed Nov 4, 2026
Atmos Energy Corp (ATO)
8-K
2026-11-04
For: 2026-11-03
View Original
Added on
November 04, 2026
About this 8-K
Atmos Energy Corp filed this 8-K on November 4, 2026, reporting on events of November 3, 2026.
Items reported
- Item 5.02: Director or officer change, or executive pay
- Item 7.01: Regulation FD disclosure
- Item 9.01: Financial statements and exhibits
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 8-K
Current Report Pursuant to Section 13 or
15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
| and | Virginia | |||||||||||||
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| (State or Other Jurisdiction | (Commission File | (I.R.S. Employer | ||||||||||||
| of Incorporation) | Number) | Identification No.) | ||||||||||||
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| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) | |||||||
(972 ) 934-9227
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(Registrant's Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
Not Applicable
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(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol | Name of each exchange on which registered | |||||||||
| No Par Value | |||||||||||
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
On November 3, 2026, Kim R. Cocklin notified Atmos Energy Corporation (the “Company”) of his decision to retire from the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”) and from the role of Chairman of the Board, effective as of the date of the Company’s annual meeting of shareholders (the “2027 Annual Meeting”). Mr. Cocklin has reached mandatory retirement age under the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines and will not stand for re-election to the Board at the 2027 Annual Meeting. He intends to continue to serve as the Chairman of the Board through the 2027 Annual Meeting and advised the Company that his decision not to stand for re-election was not the result of any disagreement with the Company on any matter relating to the Company’s operations, policies, or practices. During his tenure with the Company beginning in 2006, Mr. Cocklin has served in multiple leading roles including Chairman of the Board since December 2020, Executive Chairman of the Board from October 2017 to December 2020, Chief Executive Officer or President and Chief Executive Officer from October 2010 to September 2017, President and Chief Operating Officer from October 2008 to September 2010, Senior Vice President, Regulated Operations from October 2006 to September 2008 and Senior Vice President from June 2006 to September 2006. The Company wishes to express its appreciation to Mr. Cocklin for over 20 years of dedicated service to the Company.
On November 3, 2026, upon the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board, the Board approved changes to its leadership structure to combine the roles of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer effective upon the retirement of Mr. Cocklin. The Board believes this change to be in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders at this time. In accordance with the Corporate Governance Guidelines, the independent members of the Board will continue to annually select an independent director to serve as the Lead Director.
Accordingly, J. Kevin Akers, the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer will assume the role of Chairman of the Board, effective as of the date of the Company’s 2027 Annual Meeting, subject to his re-election as a director by shareholders at the 2027 Annual Meeting. In addition, the independent members of the Board have selected Nancy K. Quinn, the current Lead Director, to continue to serve as Lead Director, effective as of the date of the Company’s 2027 Annual Meeting, subject to her re-election as a director by shareholders at the 2027 Annual Meeting.
Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosures.
On November 4, 2026, the Company issued a news release announcing the retirement of Mr. Cocklin and appointment of Mr. Akers as Chairman of the Board. A copy of the news release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1.
The information furnished in this Item 7.01 (including Exhibit 99.1) shall not be deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall such information be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any of the Company’s filings under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
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Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits
| Exhibit Number | Description | |||||||||||||
| 99.1 | ||||||||||||||
| 101.INS | XBRL Instance Document - the Instance Document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document. | |||||||||||||
| 101.SCH | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema | |||||||||||||
| 101.LAB | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase | |||||||||||||
| 101.PRE | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase | |||||||||||||
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File - the cover page interactive data file does not appear in the interactive data file because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document. | |||||||||||||
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SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION | ||||||||
| (Registrant) | ||||||||
| DATE: | November 4, 2026 | By: /s/ JESSICA W. BATEMAN | ||||||
| Jessica W. Bateman | ||||||||
| Senior Vice President, General Counsel | ||||||||
| and Corporate Secretary | ||||||||
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Exhibit 99.1
| News Release | ||
Analysts and Media Contact:
Richard Thomas (972) 855-3729
Atmos Energy Corporation Announces Retirement of Kim R. Cocklin and
Appointment of J. Kevin Akers as Chairman of the Board of Directors
DALLAS (November 4, 2026) - Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE: ATO) announced today that Kim R. Cocklin, currently Chairman of the Board of Directors, will retire from the Board of Directors and from the role of Chairman of the Board, effective as of the date of the Company’s 2027 annual meeting of shareholders (“2027 Annual Meeting”) after distinguished service on the Board. He intends to continue to serve as the Chairman of the Board through the 2027 Annual Meeting. Mr. Cocklin has reached mandatory retirement age under the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines and will not stand for re-election to the Board at the 2027 Annual Meeting.
During his tenure with the Company beginning in 2006, Mr. Cocklin has served in multiple leading roles including Chairman of the Board since December 2020, Executive Chairman of the Board from October 2017 to December 2020, Chief Executive Officer or President and Chief Executive Officer from October 2010 to September 2017, President and Chief Operating Officer from October 2008 to September 2010, Senior Vice President, Regulated Operations from October 2006 to September 2008, and Senior Vice President from June 2006 to September 2006. The Company wishes to express its appreciation to Mr. Cocklin for over 20 years of dedicated service to the Company.
On November 3, 2026, the Board approved changes to its leadership structure to combine the roles of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer effective upon the retirement of Mr. Cocklin. Accordingly, J. Kevin Akers, the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer will assume the role of Chairman of the Board, effective as of the date of the Company’s 2027 Annual Meeting, subject to his re-election as a director by shareholders at the 2027 Annual Meeting. In addition, the independent members of the Board have selected Nancy K. Quinn, the current Lead Director, to continue to serve as Lead Director, effective as of the date of the Company’s 2027 Annual Meeting, subject to her re-election as a director by shareholders at the 2027 Annual Meeting.
“Kevin and I have worked side-by-side, and he has the leadership ability and deep industry experience to continue our safety-driven investment strategy, and I am fortunate to be able to pass the torch to such a strong leader. I will remain Chairman through our annual shareholders meeting and will be available to Kevin and the Board for a seamless transition,” said Cocklin.
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About Atmos Energy
Atmos Energy Corporation, a natural gas-only distributor, is an S&P 500 company headquartered in Dallas. We safely deliver reliable, efficient, and abundant natural gas to approximately 3.4 million distribution customers in over 1,400 communities across eight states located primarily in the South. As part of our vision to be the safest provider of natural gas services, we are modernizing our business and infrastructure while continuing to invest in safety, innovation, environmental sustainability, and our communities. Atmos Energy manages proprietary pipeline and storage assets, including one of the largest intrastate natural gas pipeline systems in Texas. Find us online at http://www.atmosenergy.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
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