Kim R. Cocklin Sells 15,000 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Stock

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.98, for a total transaction of $2,264,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 172,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. The trade was a 7.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $155.80 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $154.09 and its 200-day moving average is $147.31. The stock has a market cap of $24.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $110.97 and a twelve month high of $167.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.85 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Mizuho lowered shares of Atmos Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.28.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 33.3% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,114,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 348,988 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,604,000 after buying an additional 38,459 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 6,029 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $840,000 after buying an additional 681 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $10,319,000. Finally, Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 42.9% during the 4th quarter. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC now owns 11,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,532,000 after buying an additional 3,300 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.