Insider Selling: Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Director Sells 450 Shares of Stock

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) Director Sean Donohue sold 450 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.15, for a total transaction of $77,017.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 877 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $150,098.55. This represents a 33.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE ATO traded up $0.37 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $171.52. The stock had a trading volume of 254,457 shares, compared to its average volume of 958,189. The firm has a market cap of $27.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.75. Atmos Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $136.05 and a twelve month high of $180.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $174.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $164.19.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 14th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.49% and a return on equity of 9.07%. The company had revenue of $737.48 million during the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 24th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 24th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.87. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.40%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on ATO. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $185.00 target price (up previously from $182.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $182.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Cowen began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Argus set a $172.00 price target on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $171.67.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $233,000. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 6.7% during the first quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 39,745 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,144,000 after acquiring an additional 2,510 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 20.6% in the first quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 109,772 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $16,969,000 after purchasing an additional 18,753 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 8,498 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,314,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares during the period. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $258,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.