Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Lowers Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. reduced its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 9.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 921,441 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 98,138 shares during the quarter. Atmos Energy accounts for about 1.4% of Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. owned approximately 0.61% of Atmos Energy worth $107,486,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 30,179 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,520,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.9% in the second quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 2,328 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.9% in the first quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 3,612 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $429,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.4% during the first quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. now owns 24,285 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,887,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thomasville National Bank raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Thomasville National Bank now owns 12,767 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,518,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE ATO opened at $137.78 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.66, a PEG ratio of 2.89 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $131.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.75.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 25.09%. The business had revenue of $701.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $924.75 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.94 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a dividend of $0.805 per share. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on ATO shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, September 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $144.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective 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 Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $137.71.

About Atmos Energy

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.