Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Shares Acquired by Farther Finance Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 166.8%, acquiring an additional 2,619 shares during the second quarter, bringing its total to 4,189 shares worth $646,000.
• Atmos Energy recently reported earnings of $1.16 per share, which fell short of analysts' expectations by $0.01, alongside a revenue of $838.77 million for the quarter.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, translating to an annualized dividend of $3.48 and a dividend yield of 2.1%.

Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 166.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,189 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,619 shares during the quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $646,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ATO. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $233,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 48.3% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 19,558 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,724,000 after acquiring an additional 6,372 shares in the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 6,350 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $982,000 after acquiring an additional 395 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 181.2% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 10.4% during the 1st quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 2,794 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $432,000 after acquiring an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $168.49 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $27.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.14, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.75. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $163.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $157.30. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $136.05 and a 52-week high of $169.96.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued 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 company had revenue of $838.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $848.97 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.00% and a net margin of 25.05%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on ATO. Argus set a $172.00 target price on Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $163.00 target price (down previously from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $162.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen raised Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 17th. Finally, Barclays cut 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $161.82.

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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