Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Invests $1.24 Million in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI acquired a new position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 7,264 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,241,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter worth $25,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the third quarter worth about $29,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 30.4% during the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 279 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of ATO opened at $164.55 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $169.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $167.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.97, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.77. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $138.77 and a 1-year high of $180.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 14th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.49% and a return on equity of 9.07%. The company had revenue of $737.48 million during the quarter. Analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 24th were issued a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 24th. This is an increase 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 2.4%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.40%.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Sean Donohue sold 450 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.15, for a total transaction of $77,017.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 877 shares in the company, valued at approximately $150,098.55. The trade was a 33.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ATO. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Wall Street Zen raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Barclays dropped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $172.00 to $165.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Mizuho raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $174.11.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE: ATO) is a U.S.-based natural-gas utility that primarily focuses on the regulated distribution of natural gas. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company operates through local distribution systems to deliver natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and electric generation customers. Atmos’s core activities include pipeline operations, gas distribution, system maintenance and reliability programs designed to ensure safe and continuous service to its customers.

The company’s services encompass gas delivery, system integrity and maintenance, storage and transmission connections, and customer-facing programs such as billing, conservation initiatives and energy-efficiency offerings.