LRI Investments LLC Purchases 1,621 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

LRI Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 1,558.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,725 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,621 shares during the quarter. LRI Investments LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $201,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $14,863,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,043,000. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its position in Atmos Energy by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 5,487 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $636,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. abrdn plc raised its position in Atmos Energy by 94.6% during the fourth quarter. abrdn plc now owns 80,845 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,370,000 after purchasing an additional 39,303 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 13,201 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,530,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $130.09 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $122.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $118.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.36. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $101.00 and a one year high of $132.24. The firm has a market cap of $19.63 billion, a PE ratio of 19.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.67.

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 9.01% and a net margin of 24.65%. The company had revenue of $701.55 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $924.75 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.94 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.77 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 9th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th will be paid a $0.805 dividend. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 26th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on ATO shares. StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $133.17.

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.