International Assets Investment Management LLC Acquires Shares of 128,243 Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 128,243 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $14,863,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC owned about 0.09% of Atmos Energy as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 984.6% in the 3rd quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 282 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 57.5% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 107.0% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 294 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 48.9% during the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 496 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE ATO traded up $0.27 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $119.32. 608,234 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 688,162. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.25. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $101.00 and a twelve month high of $125.28. The company has a market cap of $18.00 billion, a PE ratio of 18.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.66. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $116.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.25.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.09 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.62% and a net margin of 23.43%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.91 EPS. Research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.70%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $1,746,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 186,339 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,701,039.94. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ATO. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, April 27th. UBS Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, April 12th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $124.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $124.33.

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.