Credit Agricole S A Sells 40,564 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Key Points

• Credit Agricole S A reduced its holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation by 71.1%, owning 16,500 shares worth approximately $2.55 million after selling over 40,000 shares in the first quarter.
• Atmos Energy's latest earnings report showed an EPS of $1.16, slightly missing expectations, with a quarterly revenue of $838.77 million.
• The firm will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.87 on September 8th, resulting in an annualized dividend of $3.48 and a yield of 2.1%.

Credit Agricole S A trimmed its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 71.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,500 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 40,564 shares during the quarter. Credit Agricole S A's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,551,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 191.2% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 166 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 141.2% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 234 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 379.7% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 331 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. Finally, South Plains Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth $51,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of ATO traded up $0.52 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $165.95. 170,931 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 968,783. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $158.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $154.94. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $128.12 and a 52 week high of $168.86. The company has a market cap of $26.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.81, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.69.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.17 by ($0.01). Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.05% and a return on equity of 9.00%. The firm had revenue of $838.77 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $848.97 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.08 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on ATO shares. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $163.00 price objective (down from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 17th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $159.00 price objective (up from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $158.27.

Atmos Energy 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.