Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Shares Sold by Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.

Key Points

• Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. has reduced its holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation by 23.0%, now owning 14,288 shares worth approximately $2.2 million.
• Analyst ratings for Atmos Energy show mixed opinions, with one Strong Buy, five Buys, and six Holds, and a current consensus price target of $164.70.
• Atmos Energy recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, representing an annualized yield of 2.0% and a payout ratio of 47.80%.

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 23.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,288 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 4,274 shares during the quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,202,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.1% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,791,335 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,213,925,000 after acquiring an additional 424,235 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 17.2% in the first quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 1,454,090 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $224,773,000 after acquiring an additional 213,075 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 24.3% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,317,500 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $203,659,000 after acquiring an additional 257,341 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.8% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 950,573 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $146,940,000 after acquiring an additional 34,878 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 11.3% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 895,475 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $138,422,000 after acquiring an additional 91,266 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ATO. Barclays set a $175.00 price objective on Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reissued 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $162.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Mizuho increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Argus set a $172.00 price target on Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, September 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $164.70.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.5%

Atmos Energy stock opened at $175.58 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $28.18 billion, a PE ratio of 24.12, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.74. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $166.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $159.16. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $136.05 and a 52 week high of $177.83. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.17 by ($0.01). The company 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 quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.08 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

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

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