Godsey & Gibb Inc. Lowers Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Godsey & Gibb Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 6.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,587 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 110 shares during the quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $220,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vest Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 387,461 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $53,745,000 after purchasing an additional 13,112 shares during the period. Legacy Financial Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Legacy Financial Strategies LLC now owns 23,819 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,304,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 514,896 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $71,421,000 after purchasing an additional 11,878 shares during the period. NovaPoint Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. NovaPoint Capital LLC now owns 5,611 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $778,000 after purchasing an additional 529 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $202,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ATO shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $143.94.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO stock opened at $143.26 on Monday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $21.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. The business’s 50-day moving average is $134.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $124.29. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $105.44 and a 1 year high of $144.32.

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, beating 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 company had revenue of $701.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $924.75 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.94 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were issued a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.25%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 48.28%.

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.