Mattern Capital Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Mattern Capital Management LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 0.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 61,590 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Mattern Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $9,492,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,791,335 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,213,925,000 after purchasing an additional 424,235 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $65,333,000. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 2,713.2% in the 1st quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 305,769 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $47,266,000 after purchasing an additional 294,900 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 24.3% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,317,500 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $203,659,000 after purchasing an additional 257,341 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 93.8% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 444,464 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $68,705,000 after purchasing an additional 215,157 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $168.75 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $164.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $157.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $27.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.18, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $136.05 and a 12-month high of $171.20.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $838.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $848.97 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.00% and a net margin of 25.05%.During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.08 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ATO shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $163.00 price objective (down previously from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 8th. Argus set a $172.00 target price on Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Mizuho raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Barclays cut their target price on Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $162.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.50.

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.