Korea Investment CORP Acquires 15,037 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Korea Investment CORP increased its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation by 13.2% in the first quarter, owning 128,810 shares valued at approximately $19.9 million.
• Atmos Energy recently reported a quarterly EPS of $1.16, slightly missing analysts' expectations and generating revenue of $838.77 million, below the consensus estimate.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.87, with a 2.1% dividend yield, to be paid on September 8th, showing a payout ratio of 47.80%.

Korea Investment CORP raised its position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 13.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 128,810 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 15,037 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP owned 0.08% of Atmos Energy worth $19,911,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 141.2% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 234 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised 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 worth $51,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the period. Finally, South Plains Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on ATO shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $159.00 price target (up from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Mizuho downgraded Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Citigroup increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $158.27.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of Atmos Energy stock traded up $0.63 on Tuesday, hitting $166.08. The company had a trading volume of 2,010,968 shares, compared to its average volume of 953,453. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 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 stock has a 50 day moving average of $157.92 and a 200-day moving average of $154.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.37.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.17 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $838.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 in the prior year, the company earned $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast 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 will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 47.80%.

Atmos Energy Company 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.