Forsta AP Fonden Has $7.32 Million Stock Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Forsta AP Fonden increased its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 17.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 52,800 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,800 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $7,324,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.9% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 176,224 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $20,957,000 after acquiring an additional 6,641 shares during the period. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $1,876,000. Swedbank AB increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 565.3% during the 2nd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 40,621 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,738,000 after purchasing an additional 34,515 shares in the last quarter. M&G Plc acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the first quarter worth $32,941,000. Finally, FORA Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the first quarter valued at $3,010,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $141.49 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $21.35 billion, a PE ratio of 21.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.68. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $105.51 and a 1 year high of $144.32. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $136.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $125.21.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $701.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $924.75 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.09% and a return on equity of 8.94%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.94 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 48.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATO has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.