Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC Sells 1,696 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC trimmed its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 825,707 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 1,696 shares during the period. Atmos Energy accounts for 0.8% of Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC owned about 0.52% of Atmos Energy worth $114,996,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 531,748 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $74,057,000 after acquiring an additional 23,378 shares during the last quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $721,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 36.4% during the 4th quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 21,028 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,929,000 after purchasing an additional 5,611 shares during the last quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $319,000. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 39.9% during the 4th quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 5,117 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $713,000 after buying an additional 1,459 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on ATO. StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. 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 note on Wednesday, April 16th. Mizuho lowered shares of Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $155.15.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of Atmos Energy stock traded up $2.18 on Monday, hitting $159.86. The stock had a trading volume of 1,226,857 shares, compared to its average volume of 933,494. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $110.97 and a one year high of $167.45. The stock has a market cap of $25.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.77, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $154.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $147.69.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.92 by $0.11. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.85 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was 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 now directly owns 172,632 shares in the company, valued at $26,063,979.36. The trade was a 7.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.