Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Decreases Holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO)

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. decreased its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 7.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 32,404 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,625 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $5,009,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 72.5% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. South Plains Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Bank of New Hampshire purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the first quarter valued at $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:ATO opened at $156.53 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The business's 50 day moving average is $156.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $149.18. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $113.46 and a 52 week high of $167.45. The company has a market cap of $24.86 billion, a PE ratio of 21.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 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 EPS 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 company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.85 EPS. Atmos Energy's quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen raised Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Mizuho downgraded Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $156.00 price target on Atmos Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $156.05.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 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. This trade represents a 7.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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