ATWOOD OCEANICS INC
SC 13G/A, 1997-02-14
DRILLING OIL & GAS WELLS
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<PAGE>
 
                                 UNITED STATES
                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, D.C. 20549

                                 SCHEDULE 13G

                   Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

                             (Amendment No.  1  )*
                                           -----

                             ATWOOD OCEANICS, INC.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               (Name of Issuer)

                         COMMON STOCK, $1.00 PAR VALUE
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        (Title of Class of Securities)

                                   05009510
                           -------------------------
                                (CUSIP Number)

Check the following box if a fee is being paid with this statement [_]. (A fee
is not required only if the filing person: (1) has a previous statement on file
reporting beneficial ownership of more than five percent of the class of
securities described in Item 1; and (2) has filed no amendment subsequent
thereto reporting beneficial ownership of five percent or less of such class.)

*The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person's
initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and
for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter the
disclosures provided in a prior cover page.

The information required in the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed
to be "filed" for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 ("Act") or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act
but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however see the Notes).

                               Page 1 of 8 Pages
<PAGE>
 
- -----------------------                                  ---------------------
  CUSIP NO. 05009510                   13G                 PAGE 2 OF 8 PAGES 
- -----------------------                                  ---------------------
 
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      NAME OF REPORTING PERSON
 1    S.S. OR I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON: 36-3820584  
                          
        Wanger Asset Management, L.P. 

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP*
 2                                                              (a) [_]
      Not Applicable                                            (b) [_]
                                                 
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      SEC USE ONLY
 3
 

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION
 4    
        Delaware

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          SOLE VOTING POWER
                     5      
     NUMBER OF              None 
 
      SHARES       -----------------------------------------------------------
                          SHARED VOTING POWER
   BENEFICIALLY      6     
                            377,700      
     OWNED BY                 
                   -----------------------------------------------------------
       EACH               SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
                     7      
    REPORTING               None  
 
      PERSON       -----------------------------------------------------------
                          SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
       WITH          8        
                            377,700

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON
 9    
        377,700

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES*
10                  
        Not Applicable
 
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW 9
11    
        5.63%
             
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON*
12
        IA

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     *SEE INSTRUCTION BEFORE FILLING OUT!
<PAGE>
 
- -----------------------                                  ---------------------
  CUSIP NO. 05009510                   13G                 PAGE 3 OF 8 PAGES 
- -----------------------                                  ---------------------
 
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      NAME OF REPORTING PERSON
 1    S.S. OR I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON: 
                          
        Wanger Asset Management, Ltd. 

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP*
 2                                                              (a) [_]
      Not Applicable                                            (b) [_]
                                                 
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      SEC USE ONLY
 3
 

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION
 4    
        Delaware

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          SOLE VOTING POWER
                     5      
     NUMBER OF              None 
 
      SHARES       -----------------------------------------------------------
                          SHARED VOTING POWER
   BENEFICIALLY      6     
                            377,700      
     OWNED BY                 
                   -----------------------------------------------------------
       EACH               SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
                     7      
    REPORTING               None  
 
      PERSON       -----------------------------------------------------------
                          SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
       WITH          8        
                            377,700

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON
 9    
        377,700

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES*
10                  
        Not Applicable
 
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW 9
11    
        5.63%
             
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON*
12
        CO

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     *SEE INSTRUCTION BEFORE FILLING OUT!
<PAGE>
 
- -----------------------                                  ---------------------
  CUSIP NO. 05009510                   13G                 PAGE 4 OF 8 PAGES 
- -----------------------                                  ---------------------
 
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      NAME OF REPORTING PERSON
 1    S.S. OR I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON: 
                          
        Ralph Wanger

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP*
 2                                                              (a) [_]
      Not Applicable                                            (b) [_]
                                                 
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      SEC USE ONLY
 3
 

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION
 4    
        U.S.A

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          SOLE VOTING POWER
                     5      
     NUMBER OF              None 
 
      SHARES       -----------------------------------------------------------
                          SHARED VOTING POWER
   BENEFICIALLY      6     
                            377,700      
     OWNED BY                 
                   -----------------------------------------------------------
       EACH               SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
                     7      
    REPORTING               None  
 
      PERSON       -----------------------------------------------------------
                          SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
       WITH          8        
                            377,700

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON
 9      
        377,700

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES*
10                  
        Not Applicable

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW 9
11      
        5.63%
        
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON*
12      
        IN

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     *SEE INSTRUCTION BEFORE FILLING OUT!
<PAGE>
 
Item 1(a)      Name of Issuer: 

                    Atwood Oceanics, Inc.

Item 1(b)      Address of Issuer's Principal Executive Offices:                

                    15835 Park Ten Place Drive, Suite 200
                    Houston, TX 77084     
                                                                               
Item 2(a)      Name of Person Filing:                                          

                    Wanger Asset Management, L.P. ("WAM");    
                    Wanger Asset Management, Ltd., the general partner of WAM 
                    ("WAM LTD.");                                               
                    Ralph Wanger ("Wanger")     
                                                                               
Item 2(b)      Address of Principal Business Office:                           

                    WAM, WAM LTD. and Wanger are all located at: 
                    227 West Monroe Street, Suite 3000           
                    Chicago, Illinois 60606                      
                                                                               
Item 2(c)      Citizenship:                                                    

                    WAM is a Delaware limited partnership.
                    WAM LTD. is a Delaware corporation.  
                    Wanger is a U.S. citizen.     
                                                                               
Item 2(d)      Title of Class of Securities:  

                    Common Stock, $1.00 par value    
                                                                               
Item 2(e)      CUSIP Number: 

                    05009510                                          
                                                                               
Item 3         Type of Person:                                                 
               
                    (e)  WAM is an Investment Adviser registered under section
                    203 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940; WAM LTD. is the
                    general partner of the Investment Adviser; Wanger is the
                    principal stockholder of the general partner.

                               Page 5 of 8 Pages
<PAGE>
 
Item 4         Ownership (at December 31, 1996):

                    (a)  Amount owned "beneficially" within the meaning of rule
                         13d-3: 

                         377,700 shares

                    (b)  Percent of class: 

                         5.63% (based on 6,704,938 shares outstanding at 
                         11/30/96)

                    (c)  Number of shares as to which such person has:

                            (i)   sole power to vote or to direct the vote: None
                            (ii)  shared power to vote or to direct the vote:
                                  377,700
                            (iii) sole power to dispose or to direct the
                                  disposition of: None
                            (iv)  shared power to dispose or to direct the
                                  disposition of: 377,700

                       WAM serves as investment adviser to Acorn Investment
                       Trust, Series Designated Acorn Fund (the "Trust").
                       Various of WAM's limited partners and employees are also
                       officers and trustees of the Trust, but WAM does not
                       consider the Trust to be controlled by such persons.
                       Although the Trust is not controlled by WAM, pursuant to
                       rule 13d-3(a) the 320,000 shares beneficially owned by
                       the Trust, with respect to which the Trust has delegated
                       to WAM shared voting power and shared dispositive power,
                       are considered to be shares beneficially owned by WAM by
                       reason of such delegated powers. In addition to the
                       shares beneficially owned by the Trust, other clients of
                       WAM may own shares which hare not included in the
                       aggregate number of shares reported herein because WAM
                       does not have or share voting or investment power over
                       those shares.

                               Page 6 of 8 Pages
<PAGE>
 
Item 5         Ownership of Five Percent or Less of a Class:

                    If this statement is being filed to report the fact that as
                    of the date hereof the reporting person has ceased to be the
                    beneficial owner of more than five percent of the class of
                    securities, check the following [_].

Item 6         Ownership of More than Five Percent on Behalf of Another Person:

                    The shares reported herein have been acquired on behalf of
                    discretionary clients of WAM. Persons other than WAM are
                    entitled to receive all dividends from, and proceeds from
                    the sale of, those shares.

Item 7         Identification and Classification of the Subsidiary Which
               Acquired the Security Being Reported on by the Parent Holding
               Company: 

                    Not Applicable

Item 8         Identification and Classification of Members of the Group:

                    Not Applicable

Item 9         Notice of Dissolution of Group:

                    Not Applicable

Item 10        Certification:

                    By signing below I certify that, to the best of my knowledge
               and belief, the securities referred to above were acquired in the
               ordinary course of business and were not acquired for the purpose
               of and do not have the effect of changing or influencing the
               control of the issuer of such securities and were not acquired in
               connection with or as a participant in any transaction having
               such purpose or effect. 

                               Page 7 of 8 Pages
<PAGE>
 
                                   Signature
                                   ---------

     After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I
certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and
correct.

Date: February 14, 1997

               The undersigned corporation, on the date above written, agrees
               and consents to the joint filing on its behalf of this Schedule
               13G in connection with its beneficial ownership of the security
               reported herein.

                                          WANGER ASSET MANAGEMENT, LTD.
                                            for itself and as general partner of
                                            WANGER ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P.

                                          By: /s/  Bruce H. Lauer
                                             -----------------------------------
                                                   Bruce H. Lauer
                                                   Vice President

               The undersigned individual, on the date above written, agrees and
               consents to the joint filing on his behalf of this Schedule 13G
               in connection with his beneficial ownership of the security
               reported herein.

                                          RALPH WANGER

                                          /s/ Ralph Wanger
                                         ---------------------------------------

                               Page 8 of 8 Pages


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