Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Stock Holdings Reduced by Mather Group LLC.

Mather Group LLC. trimmed its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 4.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 90,523 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,699 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. owned 0.06% of Atmos Energy worth $13,951,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 191.2% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 166 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake 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 worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. Bank of New Hampshire acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 26.0% during the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 378 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $166.22 on Wednesday. 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 market capitalization of $26.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.83, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.75. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $162.50 and its 200-day moving average is $156.99. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $136.03 and a 1 year high of $168.86.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.17 by ($0.01). The firm 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 prior year, the company posted $1.08 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th were paid 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 payout ratio is 47.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $159.00 price target (up from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH restated a “neutral” rating and set a $163.00 price objective (down from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Argus set a $172.00 target price on Atmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $160.27.

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.