Hsbc Holdings PLC Sells 135,453 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Hsbc Holdings PLC reduced its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 19.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 552,225 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 135,453 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.35% of Atmos Energy worth $76,898,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,367,100 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,836,526,000 after purchasing an additional 282,156 shares during the period. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 211.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,160,144 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,136,463,000 after buying an additional 5,543,451 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,806,449 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $528,760,000 after acquiring an additional 107,700 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,107,267 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $432,749,000 after acquiring an additional 223,809 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $206,538,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE:ATO traded up $0.34 on Tuesday, hitting $159.07. The company had a trading volume of 123,772 shares, compared to its average volume of 927,082. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $151.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $145.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.65, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $110.97 and a 52 week high of $161.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.19%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on ATO shares. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $154.28.

About Atmos Energy

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.