Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Holdings Decreased by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems reduced its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 0.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 85 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,326,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 603,270 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $69,920,000 after acquiring an additional 26,509 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45,445 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,267,000 after acquiring an additional 1,518 shares during the period. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 377,322 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $43,732,000 after acquiring an additional 42,182 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 32,545 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,772,000 after acquiring an additional 4,236 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 24.4% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 72,923 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,452,000 after acquiring an additional 14,294 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of ATO opened at $136.56 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $129.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $121.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.68. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $101.00 and a 1-year high of $138.78. 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) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 25.09%. 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 business posted $0.94 EPS. Analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 earnings per share for the current 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 2.36%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ATO. StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH began coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, September 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $144.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 24th. 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 report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.71.

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.