Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Position Trimmed by Legacy Financial Strategies LLC

Legacy Financial Strategies LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 23,247 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 687 shares during the period. Atmos Energy comprises about 0.8% of Legacy Financial Strategies LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Legacy Financial Strategies LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $3,593,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,367,100 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,836,526,000 after purchasing an additional 282,156 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 211.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,160,144 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,136,463,000 after purchasing an additional 5,543,451 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,806,449 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $528,760,000 after purchasing an additional 107,700 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,107,267 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $432,749,000 after acquiring an additional 223,809 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 3,078,424 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $428,732,000 after acquiring an additional 58,391 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $154.83 on Friday. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $112.85 and a twelve month high of $167.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $24.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.06, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $155.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $148.50.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.85 EPS. Atmos Energy’s revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the company’s 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 directly owns 172,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. This represents a 7.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Mizuho lowered shares of Atmos Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.35.

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.