Mather Group LLC. Sells 7,442 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Mather Group LLC. decreased its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 6.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 108,002 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 7,442 shares during the quarter. Mather Group LLC. owned 0.07% of Atmos Energy worth $14,981,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,032,032 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,162,713,000 after purchasing an additional 1,041,608 shares in the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 46.2% in the 1st quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 1,411,697 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $167,808,000 after buying an additional 446,292 shares in the last quarter. M&G Plc bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the first quarter valued at $32,941,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 1,532.1% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 218,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,511,000 after acquiring an additional 205,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 36.7% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 730,759 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $85,240,000 after acquiring an additional 196,163 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of ATO opened at $137.66 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $132.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $122.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.77 billion, a PE ratio of 20.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.68. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $105.44 and a 12-month high of $140.04.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued 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 analyst estimates 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 firm earned $0.94 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th were issued a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.34%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $142.56.

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.