2,609 Shares in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Acquired by Centiva Capital LP

Centiva Capital LP acquired a new position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,609 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $363,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 15.0% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 560,790 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $77,788,000 after buying an additional 73,007 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 228,733 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,728,000 after acquiring an additional 14,377 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 85.0% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,382 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $193,000 after buying an additional 635 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,147 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,407,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 2.3%

Atmos Energy stock traded up $3.55 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $155.80. 1,085,733 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 937,268. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $24.75 billion, a PE ratio of 22.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $153.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $147.21. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $110.97 and a 12-month high of $167.45.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.92 by $0.11. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. The business 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 posted $2.85 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target 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. Mizuho cut Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $154.28.

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.