Mattern Capital Management LLC Sells 172 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Mattern Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 66,411 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 172 shares during the period. Mattern Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $9,212,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.7% during the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 3,049 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $362,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 99.1% during the first quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 16,814 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,999,000 after purchasing an additional 8,367 shares during the last quarter. Little House Capital LLC lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 11.2% during the first quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 3,999 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $475,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted 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 purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 10.0% during the first quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH now owns 421,344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $50,085,000 after purchasing an additional 38,151 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $140.72 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $21.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.68. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $105.44 and a 12-month high of $144.32. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $136.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $125.13.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $924.75 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.94 EPS. Analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were issued a dividend of $0.805 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.29%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 48.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their price target on 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. increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note 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 given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $143.94.

About Atmos Energy

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.