Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Cuts Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. reduced its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 96.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,353 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 142,687 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $827,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. South Plains Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Bank of New Hampshire purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $58,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ATO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley set a $156.00 target price on shares of Atmos Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Mizuho downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $156.05.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO traded down $0.07 during trading on Thursday, reaching $152.23. The company had a trading volume of 501,025 shares, compared to its average volume of 923,785. The company has a fifty day moving average of $156.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $148.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock 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. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $113.46 and a 12 month high of $167.45.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced 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 25.35% and a return on equity of 9.05%. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.85 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.29%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 172,632 shares in the company, valued at $26,063,979.36. This trade represents a 7.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.