Arvest Investments Inc. Takes Position in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Arvest Investments Inc. has acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy Corporation ($ATO), purchasing 5,953 shares valued at approximately $917,000 in the second quarter.
• The recent quarterly earnings showed Atmos Energy's EPS at $1.16, which missed analysts' expectations by $0.01, with revenue of $838.77 million falling short of estimates.
• Atmos Energy declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, yielding 2.1%, with a payout ratio of 47.80% and a dividend paid on September 8th.

Arvest Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 5,953 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $917,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.1% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,791,335 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,213,925,000 after buying an additional 424,235 shares in the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 17.2% during the first quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 1,454,090 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $224,773,000 after buying an additional 213,075 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 24.3% in 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 valued at $203,659,000 after purchasing an additional 257,341 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.8% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 950,573 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $146,940,000 after purchasing an additional 34,878 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 11.3% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 895,475 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $138,422,000 after purchasing an additional 91,266 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $166.45 on Friday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $133.90 and a fifty-two week high of $168.86. The business has a 50-day moving average of $161.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $156.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.86, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $848.97 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.08 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors 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 currently 47.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $159.00 target price (up previously from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $163.00 target price (down previously from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Barclays lowered their target price on Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Argus upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $158.27.

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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