ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. Raises Holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation by 120.1% in the second quarter, acquiring an additional 11,872 shares to own a total of 21,761 shares valued at approximately $3.35 million.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed opinions on the stock, with target prices ranging from $159.00 to $172.00 and an average consensus target of $162.50, suggesting a "Moderate Buy" rating overall.
• Atmos Energy recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, which translates to an annual yield of 2.0% and a payout ratio of 47.80%.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. grew its position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 120.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,761 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 11,872 shares during the quarter. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.'s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $3,353,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 191.2% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 166 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 141.2% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 234 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted 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 worth $46,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted 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 worth $51,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New Hampshire purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the first quarter worth $58,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Argus set a $172.00 price objective on Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $162.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. 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 research report on Friday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b+)" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $159.00 target price (up previously from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $162.50.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $170.07 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.36, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.74. 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 has a 50 day moving average price of $164.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $158.01. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $136.05 and a 52 week high of $171.20.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted 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). The company had revenue of $838.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $848.97 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.00% and a net margin of 25.05%.During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.08 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th were paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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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