CX Institutional Lowers Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

CX Institutional lowered its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 19.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor 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 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 211.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,160,144 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,136,463,000 after acquiring an additional 5,543,451 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth $206,538,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 541.4% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,525,116 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $212,403,000 after purchasing an additional 1,287,325 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Atmos Energy by 146.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,713,421 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $238,628,000 after buying an additional 1,017,575 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $112,002,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on ATO shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Atmos Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $156.35.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of ATO traded down $1.73 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $152.76. The company had a trading volume of 646,228 shares, compared to its average volume of 926,059. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $113.46 and a 52-week high of $167.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $156.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $148.86.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.82 billion. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. Atmos Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.85 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS 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 paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is 48.33%.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was 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 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

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.