Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Stock Position Lowered by Ascent Group LLC

Key Points

• Ascent Group LLC decreased its stake in Atmos Energy by 23.8%, selling 1,548 shares to hold a total of 4,959 shares worth $767,000 at the end of the first quarter.
• Atmos Energy's stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy", with analysts adjusting price targets, including Barclays lowering it to $153.00 and Citigroup raising it to $163.00.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.87, resulting in a 2.1% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 47.80%.

Ascent Group LLC decreased its position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 23.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,959 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 1,548 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $767,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. United Services Automobile Association bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $515,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 49.2% in the 1st quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 3,875 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $599,000 after purchasing an additional 1,277 shares during the last quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $733,000. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.3% in the first quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 20,879 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,227,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 38.0% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 9,815 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,517,000 after acquiring an additional 2,703 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on ATO shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 17th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $163.00 price objective (down from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 8th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. One 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $158.27.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO stock traded up $0.06 on Friday, hitting $166.45. 414,826 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 799,724. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $133.90 and a 1-year high of $168.86. The stock has a market cap of $26.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.86, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.75. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $161.08 and a 200-day moving average of $156.26. 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 (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.17 by ($0.01). Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.05% and a return on equity of 9.00%. The business had revenue of $838.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $848.97 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.08 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

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

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.