Mizuho Securities USA LLC Has $1.97 Million Stock Position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO)

Key Points

• Mizuho Securities USA LLC has reduced its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation by 13.6%, now holding 12,709 shares valued at approximately $1.97 million following the sale of 2,004 shares.
• Several analysts have issued new ratings, with JPMorgan Chase & Co. raising the target price to $166.00 and maintaining an "overweight" rating on the stock.
• Atmos Energy announced a quarterly dividend of $0.87, set to be paid on September 8th, representing a 2.1% yield and a payout ratio of 47.80%.

Mizuho Securities USA LLC lessened its position in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 13.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,709 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,004 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,965,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 379.7% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 331 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Bank of New Hampshire bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $58,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Argus raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Barclays cut their target price on Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen cut Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $159.00 target price (up from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $158.27.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of Atmos Energy stock traded down $0.95 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $165.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 968,653 shares, compared to its average volume of 907,536. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.69, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $156.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $153.50. 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 Corporation has a 1-year low of $128.12 and a 1-year high of $167.45.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued 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). The business had revenue of $838.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $848.97 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.00% and a net margin of 25.05%. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.08 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th will be given 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 yield of 2.1%. 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.