Bfsg LLC Reduces Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Bfsg LLC lessened its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,502 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 173 shares during the quarter. Bfsg LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,595,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. M&G Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $32,941,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,532.1% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 218,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,511,000 after acquiring an additional 205,300 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 36.7% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 730,759 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $85,240,000 after acquiring an additional 196,163 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 45.7% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 444,267 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $51,544,000 after acquiring an additional 139,429 shares during the period. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $16,316,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH boosted their target price on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $143.94.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.1 %

ATO stock opened at $143.77 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $134.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $124.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.55, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $105.44 and a fifty-two week high of $144.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.73.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.09% and a return on equity of 8.94%. The company had revenue of $701.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $924.75 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.94 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were issued a dividend of $0.805 per share. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.28%.

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.