3,379 Shares in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Bought by United Services Automobile Association

Key Points

• United Services Automobile Association has acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy Corporation, purchasing 3,379 shares valued at approximately $515,000.
• Many other institutional investors have significantly increased their investments in Atmos Energy, with 90.17% of the company's stock now owned by such entities.
• Despite a quarterly earnings report showing a slight miss on EPS expectations, average analyst projections anticipate a 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year for Atmos Energy Corporation.

United Services Automobile Association purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 3,379 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $515,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Sowell Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $273,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 28.8% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,158 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 29,861 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,616,000 after purchasing an additional 1,157 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 26.0% in the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 378 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 20.6% during the 1st quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 109,772 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $16,969,000 after purchasing an additional 18,753 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Argus raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Citigroup raised 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. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $163.00 target price (down from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $159.00 target price (up from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. One investment 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $158.27.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:ATO traded up $0.06 during trading on Friday, reaching $166.45. 414,826 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 799,724. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $161.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $156.30. The firm has a market cap of $26.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.75. 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 quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.37.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 25.05% and a return on equity of 9.00%. The business had revenue of $838.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $848.97 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.08 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th were issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.