2,728 Shares in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) Acquired by Grimes & Company Inc.

Grimes & Company Inc. bought a new stake in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,728 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $422,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ATO. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 211.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,160,144 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,136,463,000 after acquiring an additional 5,543,451 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $206,538,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in Atmos Energy by 541.4% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,525,116 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $212,403,000 after purchasing an additional 1,287,325 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 146.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,713,421 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $238,628,000 after purchasing an additional 1,017,575 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $112,002,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of ATO opened at $152.35 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.16, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.71. Atmos Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $113.46 and a twelve month high of $167.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $148.86.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.35% and a return on equity of 9.05%. Atmos Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.85 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $156.35.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of Atmos Energy 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.