Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Shares Bought by Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co

Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 8.3% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 17,026 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,305 shares during the period. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,624,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 20.5% during the 2nd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,662 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,797,000 after buying an additional 1,984 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 13,309.6% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 103,254 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $15,912,000 after acquiring an additional 102,484 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 6.1% during the second quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 6,457 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $995,000 after acquiring an additional 374 shares during the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter valued at about $204,000. Finally, Summit Global Investments purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $6,027,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $175.94 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $173.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $163.55. The firm has a market cap of $28.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.17, 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. Atmos Energy Corporation has a one year low of $136.05 and a one year high of $180.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 14th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.00% and a net margin of 25.05%.The business had revenue of $737.48 million during the quarter. Research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th will be issued a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 24th. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.87. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.40%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ATO. Cowen started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Zacks Research raised Atmos Energy to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Argus set a $172.00 price target on Atmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 17th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $163.00 price objective (down from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $170.56.

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.