Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Shares Bought by Generali Asset Management SPA SGR

Key Points

• Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 8,266.7%, owning 16,064 shares worth approximately $2.48 million after acquiring an additional 15,872 shares in the second quarter.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, translating to an annual yield of 2.0% with a payout ratio of 47.80%.
• Brokerages have assigned Atmos Energy a consensus rating of "Hold" with a price target averaging around $168.89, reflecting sentiments from various analysts' reports.

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 8,266.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,064 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 15,872 shares during the quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,476,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 191.2% during the 1st 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 raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 141.2% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 234 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 379.7% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 26.0% during the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 378 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ATO. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b+)" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $163.00 target price (down from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 8th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $159.00 target price (up from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Mizuho increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $185.00 target price (up from $182.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $168.89.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 1.6%

NYSE:ATO opened at $176.41 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average is $167.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $159.58. 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 Corporation has a 12 month low of $136.05 and a 12 month high of $179.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.32 billion, a PE ratio of 24.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced 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 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 previous year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th were issued 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 2.0%. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is presently 47.80%.

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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