Shell Asset Management Co. Raises Stock Position in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Shell Asset Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 11.6% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 16,236 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,687 shares during the quarter. Shell Asset Management Co.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,502,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.1% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,791,335 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,213,925,000 after purchasing an additional 424,235 shares during the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 17.2% in the first quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 1,454,090 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $224,773,000 after buying an additional 213,075 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 24.3% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,317,500 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $203,659,000 after buying an additional 257,341 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.8% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 950,573 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $146,940,000 after buying an additional 34,878 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 11.3% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 895,475 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $138,422,000 after buying an additional 91,266 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO opened at $175.83 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.22 billion, a PE ratio of 24.15, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $165.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $158.51. Atmos Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $136.05 and a twelve month high of $176.11.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $838.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 previous year, the firm earned $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ATO shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $159.00 price objective (up previously from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $163.00 target price (down previously from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 17th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Argus set a $172.00 price target on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.