Trust Co. of Vermont Sells 362 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Trust Co. of Vermont cut its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,178 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 362 shares during the quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,654,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 200.0% during the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 57.5% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 187.6% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 463 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of ATO stock traded up $0.24 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $127.50. 1,054,513 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 914,087. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.36. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $101.00 and a one year high of $132.24. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $119.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $116.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.67.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $2.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.62 by $0.23. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.01% and a net margin of 24.65%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.54 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.48 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th were paid a dividend of $0.805 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 24th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.53%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 48.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on ATO shares. Barclays boosted their target price on Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 24th. UBS Group began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, April 12th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Diana J. Walters sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.00, for a total value of $47,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,551 shares in the company, valued at $419,018. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.