Mutual of America Capital Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO)

Key Points

• Mutual of America Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation by 6.7% during the 1st quarter, owning 39,745 shares valued at $6.14 million.
• Atmos Energy announced a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $3.48 and a yield of 2.1%, with the payment set for September 8th.
• Research analysts have shared mixed outlooks on Atmos Energy, with Citigroup raising their price target to $163 while Barclays lowered theirs to $153, indicating varying confidence in the stock's performance.

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 6.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 39,745 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,510 shares during the quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $6,144,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its holdings 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 period. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, Bank of New Hampshire purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $58,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.98, for a total value of $2,264,700.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $162.45 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The company's fifty day moving average price is $154.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $152.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.69. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $126.08 and a 12 month high of $167.45.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $838.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $848.97 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.12% and a net margin of 25.05%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.08 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is 47.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ATO shares. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Wall Street Zen raised Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $157.14.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.