102,632 Shares in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Bought by AMF Tjanstepension AB

AMF Tjanstepension AB acquired a new position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 102,632 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $15,825,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ATO. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 191.2% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 166 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 141.2% in the first 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. grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 379.7% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 331 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New Hampshire acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the first quarter valued at $58,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $170.07 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $164.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $158.01. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $136.05 and a 1-year high of $171.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.17 by ($0.01). Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.05% and a return on equity of 9.00%. The company had revenue of $838.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $848.97 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.08 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th were issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ATO shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, August 17th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $163.00 target price (down previously from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $162.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $159.00 target price (up previously from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Argus set a $172.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, September 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.50.

Atmos Energy Company 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.