3,813 Shares in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Bought by Vise Technologies Inc.

Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 3,813 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $588,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 141.2% during the 1st 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 last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the 2nd 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 period. Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 24.0% in the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 372 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $59,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on ATO shares. Barclays set a $175.00 target price on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $159.00 price objective (up previously from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $163.00 target price (down previously from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Argus set a $172.00 target price on Atmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Finally, Cowen assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $170.44.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $175.00 on Friday. 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 50-day moving average of $171.87 and a 200-day moving average of $162.77. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $136.05 and a 52 week high of $180.65. The company has a market capitalization of $28.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.04, a PEG 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $737.48 million during the quarter. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.05% and a return on equity of 9.00%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

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

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.