Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. Has $3.40 Million Stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 24,522 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 693 shares during the quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $3,401,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ATO. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.9% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 176,224 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $20,957,000 after purchasing an additional 6,641 shares during the period. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,876,000. Swedbank AB raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 565.3% in the 2nd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 40,621 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,738,000 after acquiring an additional 34,515 shares during the period. M&G Plc acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $32,941,000. Finally, FORA Capital LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy during the first quarter worth $3,010,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $139.62 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.67 billion, a PE ratio of 20.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.68. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $106.69 and a fifty-two week high of $144.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $136.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $125.58.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $701.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $924.75 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 25.09%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.94 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th were given a dividend of $0.805 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 47.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ATO. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective for the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.