Hennessy Advisors Inc. Boosts Stake in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Hennessy Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 164,286 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,500 shares during the quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $25,318,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Keystone Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Atmos Energy by 67.3% during the second quarter. Keystone Financial Group Inc. now owns 957 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $150,000 after buying an additional 385 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the second quarter worth about $61,000. Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 6.4% during the second quarter. Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC now owns 12,475 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,923,000 after buying an additional 747 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $228,000. Finally, Hilltop National Bank purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $131,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ATO. Argus set a $172.00 price objective on Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, September 18th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $159.00 price objective (up from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $163.00 target price (down previously from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Saturday, September 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.50.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.7%

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

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results 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). The company had revenue of $838.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $848.97 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.05% and a return on equity of 9.00%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

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

Atmos Energy 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.