Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Acquired by Forsta AP Fonden

Forsta AP Fonden lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 17.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 52,800 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 7,800 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $7,324,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 200.0% in the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 75.6% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $91,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 248.5% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 805 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 574 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 158.3% in the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 997 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $116,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.7 %

Atmos Energy stock traded down $1.04 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $140.45. 785,164 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 872,207. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $136.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $125.40. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $105.51 and a 12-month high of $144.32. The firm has a market cap of $21.19 billion, a PE ratio of 21.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $701.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $924.75 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 25.09%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.94 EPS. Research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were given a $0.805 dividend. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 48.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $143.94.

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.