Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Position Increased by AGP Franklin LLC

AGP Franklin LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 10.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,385 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,089 shares during the quarter. AGP Franklin LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,755,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 141.2% in the 1st 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. grew its position in Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the second quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 11,200.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 24.0% during the 2nd 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, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $59,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $174.94 on Friday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a one year low of $136.05 and a one year high of $180.65. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $172.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $163.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.03, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.73.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 14th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.05% and a return on equity of 9.00%. The company had revenue of $737.48 million during the quarter. Sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 8th. Investors of record on Monday, November 24th will be issued a $1.00 dividend. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.87. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 24th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.40%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATO has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $159.00 target price (up from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $185.00 price objective (up previously from $182.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Argus set a $172.00 target price on Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, September 18th. Barclays set a $175.00 price target on Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, November 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $170.56.

Atmos Energy 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.