Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group Reduces Stock Position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO)

Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group trimmed its holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 5.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 7,895 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 465 shares during the period. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,220,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 191.2% during the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 166 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. South Plains Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 379.7% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 331 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 1.2%

ATO stock traded up $1.94 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $157.21. The company had a trading volume of 47,918 shares, compared to its average volume of 908,883. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $121.81 and a 1 year high of $167.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $24.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.82, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a 50 day moving average of $154.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $150.72.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th were issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on ATO. Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen raised 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 note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Mizuho lowered shares of Atmos Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.95.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.98, for a total value of $2,264,700.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 172,632 shares in the company, valued at $26,063,979.36. This trade represents a 7.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is owned by company 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.