Albert D Mason Inc. Trims Stock Position in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Albert D Mason Inc. reduced its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation by 15.6% in Q2, holding 8,485 shares valued at approximately $1.31 million after selling 1,568 shares.
• Atmos Energy recently reported earnings per share of $1.16 for the quarter, slightly below analysts' expectations of $1.17, with revenues totaling $838.77 million.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $3.48 and a dividend yield of 2.0% for investors.

Albert D Mason Inc. cut its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 15.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,485 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 1,568 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc.'s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,308,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 191.2% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 166 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 141.2% in 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 last quarter. 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 valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 379.7% in 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 last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 26.0% in the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 378 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $176.34 on Friday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $136.05 and a 52-week high of $179.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $168.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $159.73. The firm has a market cap of $28.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.74.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $838.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $848.97 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 25th. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is 47.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b+)" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $163.00 target price (down from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 8th. Cowen started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $185.00 target price (up from $182.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $168.89.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.