Dark Forest Capital Management LP Acquires New Position in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Dark Forest Capital Management LP has acquired 30,630 shares of Atmos Energy Corporation, valued at approximately $4.7 million.
• Atmos Energy recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, with a yield of 2.1% and a dividend payout ratio of 47.80%.
• Analysts' ratings show a consensus of "Moderate Buy" for Atmos Energy, with a price target averaging $158.27.

Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 30,630 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,735,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. SouthState Corp lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 1,447 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,871 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $289,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 26.0% in the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 378 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV now owns 1,968 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $304,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 11,029 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,705,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 17th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $163.00 price target (down previously from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 8th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $159.00 price target (up previously from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $158.27.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of Atmos Energy stock traded up $1.55 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $166.34. 847,658 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 865,517. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $130.66 and a 1 year high of $168.86. The company has a market capitalization of $26.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.75. The business has a fifty day moving average of $159.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $155.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

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, research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is 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%.

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.