Crestline Management LP Invests $250,000 in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Crestline Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 1,793 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $250,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 15.0% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 560,790 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $77,788,000 after acquiring an additional 73,007 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position 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 worth $31,728,000 after acquiring an additional 14,377 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 85.0% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,382 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $193,000 after acquiring an additional 635 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on ATO shares. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Mizuho cut Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $155.15.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director now directly owns 172,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. This trade represents a 7.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO stock traded up $1.64 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $157.61. 1,206,158 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 932,316. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $154.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $147.48. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.97 and a 1-year high of $167.45. The company has a market cap of $25.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.45, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 analysts' expectations of $1.82 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.85 EPS. The business's revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.33%.

Atmos Energy Company 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.