Nilsine Partners LLC Lowers Stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO)

Nilsine Partners LLC decreased its position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 2.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 534,137 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 14,152 shares during the quarter. Atmos Energy makes up 9.0% of Nilsine Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Nilsine Partners LLC owned 0.34% of Atmos Energy worth $82,567,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $233,000. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 33.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,195 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $166,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 32.9% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,318 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $187,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 10,948 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,525,000 after acquiring an additional 934 shares during the period. Finally, Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $298,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ATO shares. Mizuho downgraded Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley set a $156.00 price objective on Atmos Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Argus raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $156.05.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $153.30 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $113.46 and a 12-month high of $167.45. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $156.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $148.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.71.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its 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. 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.85 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the firm'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 owns 172,632 shares in the company, valued at $26,063,979.36. This trade represents a 7.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Atmos Energy

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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