Capital Fund Management S.A. Makes New $1.63 Million Investment in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Capital Fund Management S.A. acquired a new position in Atmos Energy Corporation, purchasing 10,524 shares valued at approximately $1.6 million in the first quarter.
• Analysts have set a new consensus target price of $158.27 for Atmos Energy, with ratings ranging from "Strong Buy" to "Hold".
• Atmos Energy recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, yielding approximately 2.1%, with an ex-dividend date of August 25th.

Capital Fund Management S.A. purchased a new position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 10,524 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,627,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 141.2% in the first 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 period. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 379.7% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 331 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the period. Finally, South Plains Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on ATO shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 17th. Citigroup upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $159.00 price target (up from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $158.27.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.5%

ATO traded down $0.76 on Thursday, hitting $165.49. The company had a trading volume of 650,719 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,036,861. The company's fifty day moving average price is $158.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $154.94. The firm has a market cap of $26.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.73, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.69. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $128.12 and a 1 year high of $168.86. 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 released its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $838.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $848.97 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.05% and a return on equity of 9.00%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is 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.