Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Acquires 872 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 22,138 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 872 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,583,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 200.0% during the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 67.9% in the 1st quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 492 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the period. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 467.0% during the first quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 509 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $89,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, September 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $144.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.71.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO opened at $136.97 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $21.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.68. The business’s fifty day moving average is $127.18 and its 200-day moving average is $119.99. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $101.00 and a 52-week high of $136.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.73.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced 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 firm had revenue of $701.55 million for 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 period in the prior year, the company posted $0.94 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were given a dividend of $0.805 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.35%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.28%.

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.