AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs Invests $1.22 Million in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs has invested approximately $1.22 million in Atmos Energy Corporation, acquiring 7,880 shares in the first quarter of the year.
• Atmos Energy recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 2.1%.
• Equities analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Atmos Energy, with the stock having a target price of $158.27.

AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs bought a new position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 7,880 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,219,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SouthState Corp raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 1,447 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $224,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,871 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $289,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 26.0% in the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 378 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV now owns 1,968 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $304,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 11,029 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,705,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ATO shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 17th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $163.00 price target (down previously from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $158.27.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.0%

ATO stock opened at $166.45 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 12-month low of $133.90 and a 12-month high of $168.86. The stock has a market cap of $26.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.86, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.75. The business's 50-day moving average is $161.08 and its 200 day moving average is $156.30.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.17 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $838.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $848.97 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.00% and a net margin of 25.05%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.08 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 25th. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is presently 47.80%.

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.

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