Teza Capital Management LLC Acquires New Position in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

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 acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 4,739 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $733,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $233,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $753,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Centiva Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $363,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 18,799 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,618,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Barclays decreased 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. Citigroup upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, August 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. One investment 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $158.27.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $166.34 on Friday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $130.66 and a 12 month high of $168.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.85, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.75. The business has a 50-day moving average of $159.86 and a 200-day moving average of $155.77.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.17 by ($0.01). Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.00% and a net margin of 25.05%.The business 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 posted $1.08 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 47.80%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.