Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by CX Institutional

CX Institutional lessened its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 19.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,144 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,250 shares during the quarter. CX Institutional's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,413,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 248.7% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 8,150 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,260,000 after purchasing an additional 5,813 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 41.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,825 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the period. Portside Wealth Group LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 5.5% in the first quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,718 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $420,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. CMH Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the first quarter valued at $209,000. Finally, Wesbanco Bank Inc. grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 18.9% in the first quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,016 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on ATO shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Atmos Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. 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. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $156.35.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 172,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. This represents a 7.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of ATO traded down $1.03 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $151.96. 738,300 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 925,737. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $113.46 and a 1-year high of $167.45. The company has a market cap of $24.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $156.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $148.83.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.85 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

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 $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

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.