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Atmos Energy Corporation Announces Share Repurchase Program

^{Published on 2011-09-28 14:46:00 - Market Wire}
 

DALLAS--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE: ATO) announced today that its Board of Directors has approved a new program authorizing the repurchase of up to five million shares of its common stock. Although the program is authorized for a five year period, it may be terminated or limited at any time. Repurchases under the program will be made from time to time at managementa™s discretion in accordance with applicable federal securities laws. Shares may be repurchased in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions in amounts the company deems appropriate. The program is primarily intended to minimize the dilutive effect of equity grants under various benefit related incentive compensation plans of the company.

Forward-Looking Statements

The matters discussed in this news release may contain aforward-looking statementsa within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this news release are forward-looking statements made in good faith by the company and are intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this news release or in any of the companya™s other documents or oral presentations, the words aanticipate,a abelieve,a aestimate,a aexpect,a aforecast,a agoal,a aintend,a aobjective,a aplan,a aprojection,a aseek,a astrategya or similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in this news release, including the risks and uncertainties relating to regulatory trends and decisions, the companya™s ability to continue to access the capital markets and the other factors discussed in the companya™s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These factors include the risks and uncertainties discussed in the companya™s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2010 and in the companya™s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2011. Although the company believes these forward-looking statements to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will approximate actual experience or that the expectations derived from them will be realized. The company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Corporation, headquartered in Dallas, is currently the country's largest natural-gas-only distributor, serving over three million natural gas distribution customers in more than 1,600 communities in 12 states from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the East to the Rocky Mountains in the West. Atmos Energy also provides natural gas marketing and procurement services to industrial, commercial and municipal customers primarily in the Midwest and Southeast and manages company-owned natural gas pipeline and storage assets, including one of the largest intrastate natural gas pipeline systems in Texas. Atmos Energy is a Fortune 500 company. For more information, visit [ www.atmosenergy.com ].