Davis Investment Partners LLC Makes New Investment in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Davis Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO – Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 3,590 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $562,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ATO. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the second quarter worth about $2,624,975,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Atmos Energy by 11.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,199,433 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $775,719,000 after purchasing an additional 416,933 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $431,677,000. Amundi increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 40.0% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 1,823,714 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $314,171,000 after buying an additional 520,828 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $276,558,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO opened at $175.31 on Wednesday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $154.72 and a fifty-two week high of $192.51. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $165.15 and a 200 day moving average of $174.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market cap of $29.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.60, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.56.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $837.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $873.77 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 28.50% and a return on equity of 9.63%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.07 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 9.10 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.09 per share. This represents a $4.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 23rd. This is an increase from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $173.00 to $167.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Atmos Energy from $179.00 to $174.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $201.00 price target on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, November 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Atmos Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $198.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Argus reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 price target on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $183.36.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Company Profile

(Free Report)

Atmos Energy Corporation is a regulated natural gas utility and pipeline operator headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The company distributes natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers and operates natural gas transmission and storage assets. Its regulated distribution business serves customers in eight states: Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Through its pipeline and storage operations, Atmos Energy moves and stores natural gas, primarily in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Further Reading

Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO)

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