RFG Holdings Inc. Purchases Shares of 1,864 Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

RFG Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,864 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $259,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ATO. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 200.0% during the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter worth $37,000. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 467.0% during the first quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares during the period. Tompkins Financial Corp purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy in the first quarter valued at $89,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 75.6% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $91,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ATO. StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $142.56.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO opened at $139.36 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $133.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $123.33. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $105.44 and a 52-week high of $140.04. The company has a market cap of $21.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.89, a PEG ratio of 2.76 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 (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.09% and a return on equity of 8.94%. The firm had revenue of $701.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $924.75 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.94 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were issued a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 48.28%.

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.