Everett Harris & Co. CA Trims Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Everett Harris & Co. CA trimmed its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 12.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,422 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 500 shares during the period. Everett Harris & Co. CA’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $397,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 169.7% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 87,297 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $10,156,000 after acquiring an additional 54,927 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 33.3% in the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 247,048 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,633,000 after purchasing an additional 61,708 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.4% in the third quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 21,198 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,246,000 after purchasing an additional 693 shares during the period. Cambridge Trust Co. boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 0.5% in the third quarter. Cambridge Trust Co. now owns 46,329 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,908,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the period. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 29.6% during the third quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 19,601 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,076,000 after acquiring an additional 4,479 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE:ATO traded up $0.58 on Thursday, hitting $118.84. 1,265,423 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 862,112. The company has a market cap of $17.93 billion, a PE ratio of 18.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $114.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.05. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $101.00 and a 1 year high of $125.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.09 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 23.43% and a return on equity of 8.62%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.91 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were given a dividend of $0.805 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.71%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 51.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays boosted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $131.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $124.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total transaction of $1,746,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 186,339 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,701,039.94. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.