4,739 Shares in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Acquired by Teza Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Teza Capital Management LLC has acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy Corporation, purchasing 4,739 shares valued at approximately $733,000 during the first quarter.
• A variety of institutional investors have increased their stakes in Atmos Energy, with 90.17% of the stock now owned by such entities.
• A recent analyst report upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating, reflecting positive sentiment toward the company, while its shares are currently trading around $166.34.

Teza Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 4,739 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $733,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. SouthState Corp increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 1,447 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,871 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 26.0% in the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 378 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV now owns 1,968 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $304,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 11,029 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,705,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO stock traded down $0.27 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $166.13. 129,717 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 960,124. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $133.90 and a 12-month high of $168.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The company has a market cap of $26.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.75. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $160.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $156.15.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $848.97 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th were given 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 was Monday, August 25th. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is presently 47.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 17th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, August 21st. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $159.00 price target (up from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $163.00 price objective (down previously from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average 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.