Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Grows Holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 23.6% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,899,283 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 362,894 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $292,699,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 141.2% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 234 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its stake 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 valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Bogart Wealth LLC increased its position 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 valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake 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 worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter worth $59,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $175.00 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $171.87 and its 200 day moving average is $162.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.04, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.73. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $136.05 and a 12 month 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.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results on Friday, November 14th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $737.48 million for the quarter. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.05% and a return on equity of 9.00%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on ATO shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 17th. Argus set a $172.00 target price on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $167.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $170.44.

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.