Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Acquired by Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH

Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 589.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 10,878 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 9,301 shares during the period. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,515,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 72.5% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. South Plains Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $79,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of ATO stock traded down $1.52 on Thursday, hitting $155.44. The stock had a trading volume of 274,435 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,035,868. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.97 and a 52-week high of $167.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56. The stock's 50 day moving average is $154.89 and its 200-day moving average is $147.84.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.85 EPS. Atmos Energy's quarterly revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Mizuho downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $156.35.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.98, for a total transaction of $2,264,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 172,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,063,979.36. This trade represents a 7.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Atmos Energy 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.