Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Stock Holdings Lifted by Mufg Securities Americas Inc.

Mufg Securities Americas Inc. increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 25.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,520 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 710 shares during the quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $542,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 141.2% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 234 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its position in Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the second quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 11,200.0% in the 2nd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 24.0% in the 2nd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 372 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $59,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $182.00 target price on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $163.00 price objective (down from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 17th. Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $185.00 price target (up from $182.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, October 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $170.56.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO stock opened at $174.89 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $28.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.02, a P/E/G 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $173.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $163.37.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 14th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th will be given a $1.00 dividend. 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 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 24th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is presently 53.40%.

About Atmos Energy

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.