Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by M&G Plc

M&G Plc lessened its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 6.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 260,311 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 16,508 shares during the period. M&G Plc’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $30,456,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 281.3% during the fourth quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 562,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $65,208,000 after buying an additional 415,054 shares during the period. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 1,489,174 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $172,595,000 after purchasing an additional 50,209 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 40.7% in the fourth quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 24,696 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,862,000 after purchasing an additional 7,141 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.9% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 176,224 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $20,957,000 after purchasing an additional 6,641 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the first quarter worth about $1,876,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on ATO shares. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. Barclays boosted their target price on Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 24th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $130.83.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO traded up $0.16 on Tuesday, hitting $128.80. 460,683 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 910,807. The firm has a market cap of $19.43 billion, a PE ratio of 19.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $120.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $117.28. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $101.00 and a twelve month high of $132.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $701.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $924.75 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.01% and a net margin of 24.65%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.94 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 9th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th will be issued a $0.805 dividend. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 26th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.28%.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Diana J. Walters sold 400 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.00, for a total transaction of $47,200.00. Following the sale, 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 SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.