Power Corp of Canada Sells 6,786 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Power Corp of Canada trimmed its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 16.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 35,671 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 6,786 shares during the quarter. Power Corp of Canada’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $4,134,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 984.6% in the third quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 282 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position 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 buying an additional 107 shares during the period. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 107.0% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 294 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total transaction of $1,746,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 186,339 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,701,039.94. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 186,339 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,701,039.94. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Diana J. Walters sold 400 shares of the business’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 sale, the director now owns 3,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $419,018. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on ATO. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 14th. Mizuho increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, April 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.17.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO traded up $0.26 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $115.74. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,098,490 shares, compared to its average volume of 907,045. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $116.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $115.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.36. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $101.00 and a 1-year high of $125.28.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $2.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.62 by $0.23. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 24.65% and a return on equity of 9.01%. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.48 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 was Friday, May 24th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.78%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.28%.

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.