1832 Asset Management L.P. Sells 408,209 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

1832 Asset Management L.P. reduced its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 95.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,108 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 408,209 shares during the quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,271,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 57.5% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 200.0% in the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $46,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Diana J. Walters sold 400 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.00, for a total transaction of $47,200.00. Following the completion of 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:ATO traded up $1.23 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $126.16. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 504,438 shares, compared to its average volume of 844,450. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $101.00 and a fifty-two week high of $127.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market cap of $19.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.67. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $117.45 and its 200-day moving average is $116.16.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $2.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.54 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 24.65% and a return on equity of 9.01%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.48 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th were issued a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 24th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.55%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ATO. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 24th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, April 12th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Atmos Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $132.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $128.67.

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.