UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM 4 STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP ( ) Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instructions 1(b). 1. Name and Address of Reporting Person Richard W. Cardin 4969 Tyne Ridge Court TN, Nashville 37220 2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol Atmos Energy Corporation (ATO) 3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary) 410-54-7137 4. Statement for Month/Day/Year 3/14/2003 5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Day/Year) 6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) (X) Director ( ) 10% Owner ( ) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other (specify below) 7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line) (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1. Title of Security|2. |2A. |3. |4.Securities Acquired (A) |5.Amount of |6.Dir |7.Nature of Indirect | |Trans-|Exec- |Trans | or Disposed of (D) | Securities |ect | Beneficial Ownership | |action|ution |action| | Beneficially |(D)or | | | | | | | | A/| | Owned Following |Indir | | |Date | Date |Code|V| Amount | D | Price | Reported Trans(s)|ect(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Table II -- Derivative Securitites Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1.Title of |2.Con- |3. |3A. |4. |5.Number of De |6.Date Exer|7.Title and Amount |8.Price|9.Number |10.|11.Nature of| Derivative |version |Trans- |Deemed|Trans-| rivative Secu |cisable and| of Underlying |of Deri|of Deriva |Dir|Indirect | Security |or Exer |action | |action| rities Acqui |Expiration | Securities |vative |tive |ect|Beneficial | |cise | |Execu-| | red(A) or Dis |Date(Month/| |Secu |Securities |(D)|Ownership | |Price of| |ution | | posed of(D) |Day/Year) | |rity |Benefi |or | | |Deriva- | | | | |Date |Expir| | |ficially |Ind| | |tive | | | | | A/|Exer-|ation| Title and Number | |Owned Follow|ire| | |Secu- |(Month/|(Month| | | | D |cisa-|Date | of Shares | |ing Reported|ct | | |rity |Day/ |/Day/ |Code|V| Amount | |ble | | | |Trans- |(I)| | | |Year) |Year) | | | | | | | | |action(s) | | | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Phantom Stock|1-for-1 |3/14/ 2| |A | |1000.00 |A |1 |1 |Common Stock|1000.00| |5656 2 |D | | Units | |003 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Explanation of Responses: 1. The phantom stock units were granted under the Atmos Energy Corporation Equity Incentive and Deferred Compensation Plan for Non-Employee Directors and are to be settled upon the reporting person's termination of service on the Company's Board. 2. Includes 706 phantom stock units resulting from a dividend reinvestment feature of the Plan which were allocated to reporting person's account from the Plan's inception on January 1, 1999 through March 14, 2003. SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON Richard W. Cardin