Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Has $7.91 Million Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 50.6% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 67,812 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 69,445 shares during the period. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $7,910,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,472,036 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,314,641,000 after purchasing an additional 127,199 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,032,032 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,162,713,000 after acquiring an additional 1,041,608 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,575,191 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $187,243,000 after acquiring an additional 83,661 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 1.3% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,550,227 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $180,834,000 after acquiring an additional 19,981 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.6% during the second quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,521,696 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $177,506,000 after acquiring an additional 66,345 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $137.78 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $101.00 and a 12-month high of $138.78. The company 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. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $131.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $121.75.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 25.09% and a return on equity of 8.94%. The business had revenue of $701.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $924.75 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.94 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were issued 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 dividend yield of 2.34%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on ATO shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. 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 for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $137.71.

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.