Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Stake Lessened by Sfmg LLC

Sfmg LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,043,125 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 15,417 shares during the period. Atmos Energy makes up 12.1% of Sfmg LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Sfmg LLC owned about 0.65% of Atmos Energy worth $160,756,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ATO. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,086 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $325,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. SouthState Corp increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 1,447 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $224,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,871 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 24.0% during the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 372 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC increased its position in Atmos Energy by 6.6% in the second quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,181 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $182,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $174.94 on Friday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $136.05 and a fifty-two week high of $180.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.37. The company has a fifty day moving average of $172.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $163.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.29 billion, a PE ratio of 24.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.73.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 14th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $737.48 million for the quarter. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.00% and a net margin of 25.05%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 24th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 24th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.87. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is presently 53.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $185.00 target price (up from $182.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, October 16th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $163.00 price target (down previously from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Argus set a $172.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $182.00 target price on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $170.56.

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.