Public Sector Pension Investment Board Has $6.56 Million Stock Position in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• The Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation by 5.3%, acquiring an additional 2,153 shares in the first quarter, bringing its total to 42,466 shares valued at approximately $6.56 million.
• A variety of analysts have recently adjusted their ratings and price targets for Atmos Energy, with ratings ranging from sell to strong buy, and a consensus price target of $158.27.
• Atmos Energy also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, set to be paid on September 8th, representing an annualized yield of 2.1%.

Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 5.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 42,466 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 2,153 shares during the quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $6,564,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in ATO. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 211.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,160,144 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,136,463,000 after purchasing an additional 5,543,451 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 541.4% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,525,116 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $212,403,000 after purchasing an additional 1,287,325 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Atmos Energy by 146.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,713,421 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $238,628,000 after buying an additional 1,017,575 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,791,335 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,213,925,000 after buying an additional 424,235 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $65,333,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.3%

ATO traded up $0.5430 during trading on Thursday, reaching $166.6330. The company had a trading volume of 61,045 shares, compared to its average volume of 970,322. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $156.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $153.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.37. The company has a market cap of $26.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.87, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.69. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $128.12 and a 12-month high of $167.85.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced 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 firm 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.08 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate 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 paid a $0.87 dividend. 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 currently 47.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ATO. Citigroup increased their price objective 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. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $159.00 target price (up from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Barclays lowered their price target on 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. Mizuho lowered Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $156.00 target price on Atmos Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $158.27.

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.