2,728 Shares in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) Acquired by Grimes & Company Inc.

Grimes & Company Inc. bought a new position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,728 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $422,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Capital International Investors grew 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 valued at $1,136,463,000 after buying an additional 5,543,451 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $206,538,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 541.4% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,525,116 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $212,403,000 after purchasing an additional 1,287,325 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 146.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,713,421 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $238,628,000 after acquiring 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 worth about $112,002,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the business's 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. The trade was a 7.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Mizuho lowered shares of Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, 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 note on Wednesday, April 16th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $156.05.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of Atmos Energy stock traded down $0.07 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $152.23. 501,025 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 922,890. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $113.46 and a 1-year high of $167.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.71. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $156.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $148.86.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.92 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.35% and a return on equity of 9.05%. The firm's revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.85 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is 48.33%.

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.