Gateway Investment Advisers LLC Sells 8,651 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC decreased its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 38.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 13,744 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 8,651 shares during the period. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,125,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 348,988 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $48,604,000 after acquiring an additional 38,459 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 681 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $10,319,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,872 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $400,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $298,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions 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 value of $2,264,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 172,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,063,979.36. The trade was a 7.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO opened at $152.23 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $155.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $148.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The firm has a market cap of $24.18 billion, a PE ratio of 21.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.71. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $113.46 and a 1 year high of $167.45.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.92 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. Atmos Energy's quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.85 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on ATO shares. Mizuho cut shares of Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Six 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $156.35.

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.

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