Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. Sells 160 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. cut its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 6.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,420 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 160 shares during the quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $337,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Truist Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 11.4% in the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 28,906 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,372,000 after acquiring an additional 2,952 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the second quarter worth $2,277,000. Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 10.0% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 31,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,386,000 after acquiring an additional 2,871 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 17.9% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 917 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $127,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 5.1% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,160,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on ATO. Mizuho boosted their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.6 %

Atmos Energy stock opened at $142.57 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $22.16 billion, a PE ratio of 20.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.94. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $110.46 and a one year high of $152.65. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $141.58 and a 200 day moving average of $138.11.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 8.83% and a net margin of 25.04%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 50.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

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.