Securian Asset Management Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Securian Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 1.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,268,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.7%

Atmos Energy stock opened at $175.80 on Friday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $136.05 and a 1-year high of $179.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.74. 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 firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $168.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $160.45.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Argus set a $172.00 price target on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH restated a “neutral” rating and set a $163.00 price target (down previously from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Mizuho raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $185.00 target price (up from $182.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $159.00 price objective (up previously from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $170.44.

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.