Partners Group Holding AG Sells 43,397 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Partners Group Holding AG cut its position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 11.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 323,145 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 43,397 shares during the period. Atmos Energy accounts for about 2.3% of Partners Group Holding AG’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Partners Group Holding AG owned 0.20% of Atmos Energy worth $49,800,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised 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 acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group raised 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 acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 11,200.0% in the second quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake 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 worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $172.92 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $169.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $161.71. Atmos Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $136.05 and a fifty-two week high of $179.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.17 by ($0.01). Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.05% and a return on equity of 9.00%. The business had revenue of $838.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $848.97 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.08 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th were paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 17th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $185.00 price target (up from $182.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Barclays set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, October 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $170.44.

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.