Tredje AP fonden Has $2.74 Million Stock Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Tredje AP fonden lessened its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 1.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 23,482 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 370 shares during the period. Tredje AP fonden’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,739,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 period. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 467.0% in the first quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 509 shares during the last quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $89,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 75.6% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $91,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $136.26 on Friday. The stock 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.73. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $101.00 and a fifty-two week high of $138.78. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $129.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $120.85.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $701.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $924.75 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 25.09%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.94 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th were given a dividend of $0.805 per share. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 48.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ATO shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, September 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $144.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus 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.