Unigestion Holding SA Invests $1.80 Million in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Unigestion Holding SA bought a new position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 11,664 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,803,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 211.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,160,144 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,136,463,000 after acquiring an additional 5,543,451 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $206,538,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 541.4% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,525,116 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $212,403,000 after acquiring an additional 1,287,325 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 146.2% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,713,421 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $238,628,000 after purchasing an additional 1,017,575 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $112,002,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.98, for a total transaction 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 represents a 7.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE ATO traded down $0.15 on Friday, reaching $152.20. 221,731 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 933,028. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $155.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $148.71. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $113.46 and a 12 month high of $167.45. The company has a market cap of $24.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.71.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 analysts' expectations of $1.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.85 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Mizuho downgraded 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 research report on Monday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $156.35.

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.