Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Yaupon Capital Management LP

Yaupon Capital Management LP cut its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 25.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 130,595 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 43,905 shares during the quarter. Yaupon Capital Management LP owned 0.08% of Atmos Energy worth $18,188,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $309,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 9,865 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,374,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 2,921 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $407,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greenleaf Trust raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,524 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $352,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of ATO traded down $1.37 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $158.30. The stock had a trading volume of 1,245,877 shares, compared to its average volume of 929,363. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $110.97 and a 12-month high of $161.49. The firm has a market cap of $25.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $151.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $145.73.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. Equities research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on ATO. Wolfe Research began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. 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. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $154.39.

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.