Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO Sells 10,544 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Town & Country Bank & Trust CO sold 10,544 shares of Atmos Energy Corporation, reducing its stake by 44.8%, leaving it with 12,969 shares valued at approximately $1.999 million.
• Atmos Energy reported a quarterly earnings miss, with an EPS of $1.16, falling short of analysts' expectations of $1.17.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, providing an annualized dividend yield of 2.1%, with a payout ratio of 47.80%.

Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO reduced its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 44.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,969 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 10,544 shares during the period. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,999,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 191.2% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 166 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 141.2% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 234 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Atmos Energy by 379.7% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 331 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. Bank of New Hampshire acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 26.0% during 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 during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.1%

ATO stock opened at $163.05 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.17 billion, a PE ratio of 22.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Atmos Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $136.03 and a twelve month high of $168.86. The stock's 50 day moving average is $162.26 and its 200-day moving average is $156.92.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 EPS 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 analysts' expectations of $848.97 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.08 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on ATO. Argus set a $172.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, August 21st. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $159.00 price target (up previously from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $163.00 price target (down from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $160.27.

Atmos Energy Company 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.

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