Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Has $21.93 Million Stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO)

Key Points

• The Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation by 4.0%, owning 141,849 shares worth approximately $21.93 million as of the most recent filing.
• Insider activity includes Director Kim R. Cocklin selling 15,000 shares at an average price of $150.98, reducing their position by 7.99%.
• Atmos Energy announced a quarterly dividend of $0.87 to be paid on September 8th, representing a 2.2% dividend yield based on the current annualized dividend rate.

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 4.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 141,849 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,476 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System owned 0.09% of Atmos Energy worth $21,927,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ATO. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake 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 during the period. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. South Plains Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $51,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 379.7% in the first 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 last quarter. Finally, Bank of New Hampshire acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the first quarter valued at about $58,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.98, for a total transaction of $2,264,700.00. Following the sale, the director owned 172,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,063,979.36. This trade represents a 7.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.4%

ATO opened at $157.20 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $24.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $154.43 and a 200 day moving average of $152.40. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $126.08 and a 12 month high of $167.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.17 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $838.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $848.97 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.05% and a net margin of 25.35%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATO has been the topic of several research reports. Mizuho cut Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. Barclays decreased 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 research note on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup raised their price objective 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. Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $157.14.

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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