IFM Investors Pty Ltd Purchases 1,377 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 52,522 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,377 shares during the quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $7,285,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. M&G Plc bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the first quarter worth about $32,941,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1,532.1% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 218,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,511,000 after purchasing an additional 205,300 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 36.7% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 730,759 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $85,240,000 after purchasing an additional 196,163 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 45.7% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 444,267 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $51,544,000 after purchasing an additional 139,429 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the first quarter worth about $16,316,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $140.72 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $136.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $125.08. The firm has a market cap of $21.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $105.44 and a 52 week high of $144.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 25.09%. The business had revenue of $701.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $924.75 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.94 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were given a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target 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 began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. One investment 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $143.94.

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.