Natixis Advisors L.P. Lowers Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Natixis Advisors L.P. reduced its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 8.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 73,208 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 6,923 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P.'s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $8,484,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.8% in the third quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 17,555 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,860,000 after purchasing an additional 812 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 23.1% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 73,528 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $7,789,000 after buying an additional 13,805 shares in the last quarter. Forsta AP Fonden boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 19,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,013,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 23,951 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,537,000 after acquiring an additional 753 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 103.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 35,886 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,744,000 after acquiring an additional 18,262 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total transaction of $1,746,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 186,339 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,701,039.94. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on ATO shares. Barclays increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, April 27th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, April 12th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $124.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $124.33.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO stock traded down $1.00 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $119.59. 1,878,011 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 817,412. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $101.00 and a one year high of $125.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $116.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $114.48. 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 (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $2.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.62 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.54 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 23.43% and a return on equity of 8.62%. Atmos Energy's revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.6 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.805 per share. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.69%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.11%.

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.