Old Port Advisors Has $701,000 Stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Old Port Advisors lowered its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,051 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 104 shares during the period. Old Port Advisors’ holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $701,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 200.0% in the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 192 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 75.6% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $91,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 248.5% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 805 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 574 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 158.3% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 997 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 611 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $141.49 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $136.25 and its 200-day moving average is $125.21. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $105.51 and a 1-year high of $144.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market cap of $21.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.68.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $701.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $924.75 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.09% and a return on equity of 8.94%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.94 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 48.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $143.94.

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.