Russell Investments Group Ltd. Raises Holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation by 4.2%, owning 79,403 shares valued at approximately $12.26 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Atmos Energy missed analysts' earnings estimates for the last quarter, reporting $1.16 EPS, slightly below the expected $1.17 EPS, with revenues also falling short of projections.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, translating to an annualized rate of $3.48 and a dividend yield of 2.1%.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 4.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 79,403 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 3,232 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.'s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $12,257,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ATO. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 541.4% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,525,116 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $212,403,000 after purchasing an additional 1,287,325 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,017,575 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.1% in 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 purchasing an additional 424,235 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $65,333,000. Finally, Merewether Investment Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $47,817,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of ATO stock traded up $0.6750 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $166.7650. The company had a trading volume of 206,930 shares, compared to its average volume of 971,151. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $156.82 and a 200-day moving average of $153.98. The company has a market capitalization of $26.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.91, 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.17 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $838.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $848.97 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.05% and a return on equity of 9.00%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.08 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho lowered Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research note on Monday, April 28th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $163.00 price target (down previously from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $159.00 price objective (up from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $156.00 price objective on Atmos Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $158.27.

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.