Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Pensioenfonds Rail & OV

Pensioenfonds Rail & OV cut its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 23.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 309,128 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 94,991 shares during the quarter. Atmos Energy makes up 2.7% of Pensioenfonds Rail & OV’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Pensioenfonds Rail & OV owned about 0.20% of Atmos Energy worth $36,746,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Portside Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,462 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $285,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.4% in the first quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. now owns 24,285 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,887,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 57.5% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Thomasville National Bank increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Thomasville National Bank now owns 12,767 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,518,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, Bfsg LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 11,220 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,300,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Diana J. Walters sold 400 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $419,018. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO traded down $0.42 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $116.11. 915,243 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 916,189. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.67. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $116.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $115.54. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $101.00 and a twelve month high of $125.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.22.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $2.85 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.54 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.48 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 28th were given a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 24th. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.77%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Mizuho boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, April 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Barclays increased 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.67.

About Atmos Energy

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.