23,400 Shares in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Bought by Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA

Key Points

• Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired 23,400 shares of Atmos Energy Corporation valued at approximately $3.6 million during the second quarter.
• The stock recently received mixed analyst ratings, with price targets ranging from $153.00 to $167.00, and an overall consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."
• Atmos Energy declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, resulting in an annual yield of 2.1%.

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 23,400 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,606,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 191.2% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 166 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its holdings in 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. raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the second quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 379.7% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 331 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New Hampshire bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the first quarter valued at about $58,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on ATO. Barclays decreased their price target on Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $159.00 price target (up from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Atmos Energy from $162.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $163.00 price target (down from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $161.82.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of ATO stock opened at $169.43 on Tuesday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $136.05 and a 12-month high of $169.96. 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 stock's 50-day moving average price is $163.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $157.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.75.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.17 by ($0.01). Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.00% and a net margin of 25.05%.The firm had revenue of $838.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $848.97 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th were given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.80%.

About Atmos Energy

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.

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