Freedom Investment Management Inc. Has $599,000 Holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Freedom Investment Management Inc. lessened its position in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 11.4% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,884 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 498 shares during the quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $599,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 191.2% during the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 166 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its position 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. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 50.0% during 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. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Atmos Energy by 379.7% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 331 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC increased its position in 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of ATO opened at $176.00 on Friday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $136.05 and a 12-month high of $179.70. The business’s fifty day moving average is $169.10 and its 200 day moving average is $160.74. 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 stock has a market cap of $28.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.74.

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

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $185.00 target price (up previously from $182.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. TD Cowen raised shares of Atmos Energy to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Barclays set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $167.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $163.00 price objective (down previously from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, August 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.