Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Nuveen Asset Management LLC

Nuveen Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 411,535 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 12,625 shares during the quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.26% of Atmos Energy worth $57,314,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 33.3% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,114,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 348,988 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $48,604,000 after acquiring an additional 38,459 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.7% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 6,029 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $840,000 after purchasing an additional 681 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $10,319,000. Finally, Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 42.9% in the fourth quarter. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC now owns 11,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,532,000 after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of ATO stock traded down $2.24 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $156.87. 1,127,423 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 935,892. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $154.89 and a 200 day moving average of $147.84. 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 Co. has a 1 year low of $110.97 and a 1 year high of $167.45. The firm has a market cap of $24.92 billion, a PE ratio of 22.35, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. Atmos Energy's revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.85 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 transaction of $2,264,700.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 172,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. The trade was a 7.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Mizuho cut shares of Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $155.15.

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.