Hilltop National Bank Makes New $131,000 Investment in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 850 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $131,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ATO. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,791,335 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,213,925,000 after purchasing an additional 424,235 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the first quarter worth $65,333,000. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 2,713.2% in the 1st quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 305,769 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $47,266,000 after acquiring an additional 294,900 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 24.3% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,317,500 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $203,659,000 after acquiring an additional 257,341 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 93.8% during the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 444,464 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $68,705,000 after acquiring an additional 215,157 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO stock opened at $170.07 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $27.30 billion, a PE ratio of 23.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $164.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $158.06. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $136.05 and a 1-year high of $171.20.

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

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. 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 payout ratio is presently 47.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on ATO. Argus set a $172.00 target price on Atmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $163.00 target price (down from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $162.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.50.

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.