Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Stock Holdings Increased by Asset Dedication LLC

Asset Dedication LLC raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 7.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,026 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the quarter. Asset Dedication LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $281,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Creative Planning increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 34,491 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,784,000 after purchasing an additional 663 shares in the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $235,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $274,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its position in Atmos Energy by 19.2% during the 3rd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 6,398 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $887,000 after purchasing an additional 1,031 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH now owns 453,058 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $62,844,000 after purchasing an additional 31,714 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO opened at $143.77 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $21.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. The company’s fifty day moving average is $134.62 and its 200-day moving average is $124.02. 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 $105.44 and a 12 month high of $144.32.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 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 firm had revenue of $701.55 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $924.75 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.94 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th were issued a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.