Benjamin Edwards Inc. Has $1.47 Million Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 16.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,611 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,765 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,471,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $137,757,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $1,162,713,000 after purchasing an additional 1,041,608 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 46.2% in the 1st quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 1,411,697 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $167,808,000 after purchasing an additional 446,292 shares during the period. M&G Plc acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,941,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,532.1% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 218,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,511,000 after purchasing an additional 205,300 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE ATO opened at $136.26 on Friday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $101.00 and a 1 year high of $138.78. 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 cap of $20.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.43, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $129.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $120.85.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its 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 firm had revenue of $701.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $924.75 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.94 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 48.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, September 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $144.00 price target for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.71.

Atmos Energy Company 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.