Patten Group Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Patten Group Inc. grew its position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 38.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 645 shares during the quarter. Patten Group Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $356,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ATO. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 191.2% during the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 166 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 141.2% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 234 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Atmos Energy by 379.7% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 331 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 11,200.0% in the 2nd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $177.05 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.42 billion, a PE ratio of 24.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.74. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $136.05 and a 12-month high of $179.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $168.69 and its 200-day moving average is $160.23.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $185.00 price target (up from $182.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Argus set a $172.00 price target on Atmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Cowen started coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays set a $175.00 price target on Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, October 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $170.44.

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.