Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by M&G Plc

M&G PLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 245,256 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 15,055 shares during the quarter. M&G PLC owned approximately 0.16% of Atmos Energy worth $34,091,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 75.6% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $91,000 after buying an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 248.5% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 805 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 574 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 158.3% in the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 997 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $116,000 after buying an additional 611 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lummis Asset Management LP grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the 2nd quarter. Lummis Asset Management LP now owns 1,128 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $132,000 after buying an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 1.8 %

ATO traded up $2.56 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $141.44. 1,344,805 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 875,084. The firm's fifty day moving average is $137.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $126.52. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $107.82 and a 1-year high of $144.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market cap of $21.96 billion, a PE ratio of 20.39, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.68.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $701.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $924.75 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 25.09%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.94 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.46%. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on ATO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a "hold" rating and a $155.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $143.94.

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.