Penserra Capital Management LLC Has $1.42 Million Stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO)

Penserra Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 2,158.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,168 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 8,762 shares during the quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,416,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position 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 buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. South Plains Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position 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 buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was 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 approximately $26,063,979.36. This trade represents a 7.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on ATO. Citigroup upped 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. Mizuho downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $156.95.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $154.26. 436,931 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 914,735. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $119.90 and a 52 week high of $167.45. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $154.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $150.37. 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 has a market cap of $24.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.43, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.70.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.82 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.35% and a return on equity of 9.05%. The company's revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.85 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

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.