BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Purchases 33,515 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S significantly increased its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation by 631%, acquiring an additional 33,515 shares to total 38,826 shares valued at approximately $6,002,000.
• Atmos Energy's shares have received mixed ratings from analysts, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a current target price of $158.27.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend of $3.48 and a yield of 2.1%.

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 631.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,826 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 33,515 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $6,002,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of ATO. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 541.4% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,525,116 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $212,403,000 after buying an additional 1,287,325 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 146.2% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,713,421 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $238,628,000 after acquiring an additional 1,017,575 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in 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. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the first quarter valued at about $65,333,000. Finally, Merewether Investment Management LP acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $47,817,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $159.00 price objective (up from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday. Morgan Stanley set a $156.00 price target on Atmos Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $163.00 price objective (down from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $158.27.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of ATO opened at $165.9820 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.37. The company has a market cap of $26.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.80, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $156.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $153.98. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $128.12 and a 52-week high of $167.85.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $848.97 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.08 EPS. Analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.

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