Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Stock Position Boosted by Forsta AP Fonden

Forsta AP Fonden raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 60.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 63,300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 23,800 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $9,755,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ATO. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 141.2% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 234 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in 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 period. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 11,200.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 24.0% during the 2nd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 372 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $59,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $178.01 on Friday. 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 Corporation has a one year low of $136.05 and a one year high of $180.65. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $171.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $162.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.57 billion, a PE ratio of 24.45, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.73.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $754.64 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $726.97 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 business earned $1.08 EPS. Atmos Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.150-8.350 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 8th. Investors of record on Monday, November 24th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 24th. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.87. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $167.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $163.00 price target (down from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 8th. Argus set a $172.00 target price on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, September 18th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $159.00 target price (up from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $170.44.

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.