Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Trims Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. reduced its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 48.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 167,891 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 155,723 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned about 0.11% of Atmos Energy worth $23,288,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 3,049 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $362,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 27,385 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,552 shares during the period. Financial Partners Group LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 44.7% during the first quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC now owns 3,245 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $386,000 after buying an additional 1,003 shares during the period. SteelPeak Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 99.1% in the first quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 16,814 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,999,000 after purchasing an additional 8,367 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Little House Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 11.2% during the first quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 3,999 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $475,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 1.4 %

Atmos Energy stock traded down $1.95 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $140.72. 682,076 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 873,976. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $105.44 and a 12-month high of $144.32. The business has a fifty day moving average of $136.25 and a 200 day moving average of $125.13. The firm has a market cap of $21.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.10, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.73.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $701.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $924.75 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 25.09%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.94 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a dividend of $0.805 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on ATO shares. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $143.94.

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.