Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Increases Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 8.8% during the 2nd quarter, bringing its total shares to 59,400, valued at approximately $9.15 million.
• Multiple institutional investors, including Vanguard Group Inc. and UBS Asset Management, have also boosted their stakes in Atmos Energy, indicating strong institutional interest in the company.
• Atmos Energy recently missed earnings estimates with a reported EPS of $1.16 compared to the expected $1.17 and also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.87, reflecting a 2.1% yield.

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 8.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 59,400 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 4,800 shares during the quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.'s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $9,154,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ATO. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,791,335 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,213,925,000 after buying an additional 424,235 shares in the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 17.2% during the 1st quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 1,454,090 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $224,773,000 after buying an additional 213,075 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 24.3% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,317,500 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $203,659,000 after buying an additional 257,341 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 950,573 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $146,940,000 after buying an additional 34,878 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 11.3% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 895,475 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $138,422,000 after purchasing an additional 91,266 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen raised Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 17th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $159.00 price target (up previously from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Argus set a $172.00 price objective on Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $163.00 price target (down from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $160.27.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $162.99 on Friday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $135.37 and a 52 week high of $168.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock's fifty day moving average is $162.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.69. The company has a market capitalization of $26.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.75.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th were given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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 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.

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