Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) Stock Holdings Boosted by Perpetual Ltd

Perpetual Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 17.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,454,090 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 213,075 shares during the period. Atmos Energy comprises 2.7% of Perpetual Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Perpetual Ltd owned about 0.92% of Atmos Energy worth $224,773,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ATO. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. South Plains Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 379.7% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 331 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.98, for a total value of $2,264,700.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 172,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. This trade represents a 7.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATO has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Morgan Stanley set a $156.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $156.05.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.1%

ATO stock traded down $0.14 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $152.78. 1,551,588 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 923,138. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $113.46 and a 1-year high of $167.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.27 billion, a PE ratio of 21.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.71. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $156.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $149.29.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.92 by $0.11. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.35% and a return on equity of 9.05%. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.85 EPS. Atmos Energy's revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

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.