Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Decreases Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC reduced its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 72.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,802 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 12,936 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $560,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ATO. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its position in Atmos Energy by 200.0% in the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 67.9% during the 1st quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 492 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the period. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 467.0% in the 1st quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $89,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $134.78 on Thursday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $101.00 and a 1-year high of $136.33. The company’s fifty day moving average is $126.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $119.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.68.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.09% and a return on equity of 8.94%. The firm had revenue of $701.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $924.75 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.94 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.39%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 48.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $144.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.71.

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.