Raymond James Financial Inc. Acquires 91,266 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation by 11.3%, now owning 895,475 shares valued at approximately $138.42 million.
• Atmos Energy reported an EPS of $1.16 for its latest quarter, slightly below expectations, with a revenue of $838.77 million.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87, which equates to a 2.1% yield, to be paid on September 8th.

Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 11.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 895,475 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 91,266 shares during the quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned about 0.56% of Atmos Energy worth $138,422,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. South Plains Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $51,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New Hampshire purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $58,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Mizuho cut Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $163.00 price objective (down from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $156.00 price objective on Atmos Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Argus upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $158.27.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE ATO traded up $0.7470 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $166.8370. The company had a trading volume of 514,416 shares, compared to its average volume of 973,238. Atmos Energy Corporation has a one year low of $128.12 and a one year high of $167.85. 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 firm's fifty day moving average price is $156.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $153.98. The stock has a market cap of $26.78 billion, a PE ratio of 22.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.69.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its 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). Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.05% and a return on equity of 9.00%. The company had revenue of $838.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $848.97 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.08 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Shareholders 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 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.