Everett Harris & Co. CA Sells 1,000 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Everett Harris & Co. CA lessened its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 29.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,422 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the period. Everett Harris & Co. CA’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $288,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 984.6% during the 3rd quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 282 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 200.0% in the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 57.5% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 107.0% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 294 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth $47,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO opened at $115.16 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $116.56 and a 200 day moving average of $115.59. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $101.00 and a 12 month high of $125.28. The company has a market capitalization of $17.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.27, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.67.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its 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. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.54 billion. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.01% and a net margin of 24.65%. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast 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. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.80%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 48.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATO has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group initiated 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Atmos Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $130.00 to $132.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 14th. StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, June 27th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $128.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

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