Vest Financial LLC Grows Stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Vest Financial LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 387,461 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,112 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $53,745,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 200.0% in the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 467.0% in the 1st quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 75.6% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 248.5% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 805 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 574 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $143.94.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:ATO traded down $0.50 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $143.26. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 779,021 shares, compared to its average volume of 878,554. The firm has a market cap of $21.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $105.44 and a 1 year high of $144.32. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $134.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $124.24.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $701.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $924.75 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 25.09%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.94 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were given a $0.805 dividend. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.28%.

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.