LRI Investments LLC Makes New Investment in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,725 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $201,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 200.0% during the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 57.5% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 187.6% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 463 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE ATO traded up $1.23 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $126.16. The stock had a trading volume of 504,438 shares, compared to its average volume of 844,450. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $19.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.67. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $117.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $116.16. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $101.00 and a 52-week high of $127.90.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $2.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.54 billion. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.01% and a net margin of 24.65%. Atmos Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.48 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th were issued a dividend of $0.805 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 24th. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.55%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on ATO. Barclays upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 24th. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. UBS Group began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, April 12th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $128.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Diana J. Walters sold 400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.00, for a total transaction of $47,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,551 shares in the company, valued at $419,018. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.