Reaves W H & Co. Inc. Has $101.74 Million Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO)

Key Points

• Reaves W H & Co. Inc. has increased its stake in Atmos Energy Corporation by 6.6%, owning approximately 658,135 shares, making the stock the firm's 16th largest holding.
• Atmos Energy recently reported $1.95 billion in revenue for the quarter and a net margin of 25.35%, exceeding analyst estimates.
• Several research firms have increased their price targets for Atmos Energy, with Citigroup raising it from $148.00 to $163.00 and maintaining a "neutral" rating.

Reaves W H & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 6.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 658,135 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 40,461 shares during the quarter. Atmos Energy comprises 2.6% of Reaves W H & Co. Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. owned about 0.41% of Atmos Energy worth $101,735,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.8% during the first quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,871 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $289,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 26.0% in the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 378 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV now owns 1,968 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $304,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.7% during the first quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 11,029 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,705,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its position in Atmos Energy by 3.0% in the first quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 2,812 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $435,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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 the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.98, for a total transaction of $2,264,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 172,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. This represents a 7.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO traded up $0.57 on Wednesday, hitting $157.20. The company had a trading volume of 1,409,782 shares, compared to its average volume of 674,194. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $154.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $152.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market cap of $24.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.69. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $126.08 and a 1-year high of $167.45.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.18 by ($0.02). Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.05% and a net margin of 25.35%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.08 EPS. Analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is 48.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on ATO. Mizuho cut shares of Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research report on Monday, April 28th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $159.00 price target (up previously from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $157.14.

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.