Aberdeen Group plc Raises Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Aberdeen Group plc lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 5.9% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 186,479 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,317 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $28,738,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $176.45 on Monday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $136.05 and a 12 month high of $177.83. 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 $28.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.24, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.74. The business has a 50-day moving average of $166.31 and a 200-day moving average of $159.00.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by ($0.01). Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.00% and a net margin of 25.05%.The company had revenue of $838.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $848.97 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.08 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on ATO. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $163.00 target price (down from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $162.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Barclays set a $175.00 price target on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $164.70.

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.