ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. Purchases Shares of 9,889 Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO)

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. recently acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE: ATO), purchasing 9,889 shares valued at approximately $1.53 million.
• Atmos Energy's recent quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $1.16, slightly missing analysts' expectations, with a revenue of $838.77 million.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.87, with a dividend yield of 2.1%, to be paid on September 8th for stockholders recorded by August 25th.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 9,889 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,529,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 191.2% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 166 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Bank of New Hampshire acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:ATO traded up $0.72 during trading on Monday, hitting $165.01. 1,287,103 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 982,850. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $127.43 and a 1-year high of $167.45. The firm has a market cap of $26.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.67, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $155.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $152.99.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 business had revenue of $838.77 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 previous year, the company posted $1.08 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is 47.80%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.98, for a total value of $2,264,700.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 172,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,063,979.36. This represents a 7.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Mizuho downgraded Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research report on Monday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $159.00 price objective (up from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $156.00 target price on Atmos Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $158.27.

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.