Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft Acquires New Position in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft has invested approximately $775,000 in Atmos Energy Corporation by acquiring 5,041 shares in the second quarter.
• Atmos Energy has received recent analyst upgrades, including a shift from a "sell" to a "hold" rating from Wall Street Zen and a reaffirmation of an "overweight" rating from Morgan Stanley.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.87, representing an annualized payout of $3.48 and a yield of 2.1%.

Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 5,041 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $775,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position 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 worth $26,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 379.7% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 331 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. Bank of New Hampshire acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 26.0% during the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 378 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on ATO. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Argus set a $172.00 target price on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $163.00 target price (down from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $160.27.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE ATO traded up $0.12 on Monday, hitting $163.05. The company had a trading volume of 778,089 shares, compared to its average volume of 871,263. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $136.03 and a 12-month high of $168.86. The company has a market capitalization of $26.17 billion, a PE ratio of 22.40, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.75. The company's fifty day moving average price is $162.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.92. 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 (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released 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). Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.00% and a net margin of 25.05%.The business had revenue of $838.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $848.97 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.08 EPS. As a group, 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 announced 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 of this dividend was Monday, August 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.