Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Boston Trust Walden Corp

Boston Trust Walden Corp cut its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 7.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 340,650 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 28,882 shares during the quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned approximately 0.21% of Atmos Energy worth $52,658,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were 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 owns 172,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. This trade represents a 7.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of ATO stock traded up $0.91 during trading on Friday, hitting $153.30. 1,529,995 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 927,076. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.71. 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's fifty day moving average price is $156.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $148.95. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $113.46 and a 52-week high of $167.45.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.92 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.35% and a return on equity of 9.05%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.85 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th were issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on ATO. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Mizuho downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. Six research 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $156.05.

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.