Squarepoint Ops LLC Grows Stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 143,207 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,463 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned about 0.09% of Atmos Energy worth $19,944,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,114,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.4% during 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 buying an additional 38,459 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.7% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 6,029 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $840,000 after buying an additional 681 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $10,319,000. Finally, Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 42.9% during the fourth quarter. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC now owns 11,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,532,000 after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now owns 172,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. This represents a 7.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Atmos Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wolfe Research started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $156.35.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of Atmos Energy stock traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $156.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 168,359 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,035,050. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $110.97 and a twelve month high of $167.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $155.23 and a 200-day moving average of $148.29. The stock has a market cap of $24.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.92 by $0.11. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.85 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is 48.33%.

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.