Vontobel Holding Ltd. Boosts Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 10.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,438 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 424 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $616,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 200.0% in the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the second quarter worth about $37,000. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 509 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 75.6% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 248.5% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 805 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 574 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised 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. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $143.94.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.7 %

ATO stock opened at $142.21 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $135.19 and its 200 day moving average is $124.47. The stock has a market cap of $21.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $105.44 and a 1-year high of $144.32.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $924.75 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.94 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were issued a $0.805 dividend. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. 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.