Little House Capital LLC Has $1.54 Million Stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO)

Little House Capital LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 22.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,934 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,817 shares during the period. Little House Capital LLC's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,536,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Capital International Investors boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 211.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,160,144 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,136,463,000 after acquiring an additional 5,543,451 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $206,538,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in 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 valued at $212,403,000 after acquiring an additional 1,287,325 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted 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 acquiring an additional 1,017,575 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $112,002,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $152.78 on Friday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $113.46 and a twelve month high of $167.45. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $156.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $149.37. The company has a market capitalization of $24.27 billion, a PE ratio of 21.22, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.05% and a net margin of 25.35%. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.85 EPS. The company's revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ATO shares. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Morgan Stanley set a $156.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Mizuho cut shares of Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Six investment 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $156.05.

Insider Transactions 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 sale, the director now owns 172,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. The trade was a 7.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ATO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.