Alberta Investment Management Corp Sells 153,110 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Alberta Investment Management Corp lessened its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 98.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,500 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 153,110 shares during the quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $290,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC now owns 5,035 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $584,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $110,000. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its position in Atmos Energy by 32.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 19,295 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,236,000 after purchasing an additional 4,782 shares during the last quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 50,433.3% in the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,032 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $351,000 after purchasing an additional 3,026 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in Atmos Energy by 30.9% in the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 101,990 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $11,821,000 after purchasing an additional 24,077 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE ATO traded up $0.38 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $115.89. The stock had a trading volume of 879,774 shares, compared to its average volume of 898,548. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.22. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $101.00 and a fifty-two week high of $125.28. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $116.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $115.21. The firm has a market cap of $17.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.67.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $2.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.62 by $0.23. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.01% and a net margin of 24.65%. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.54 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.48 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.75 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.805 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 24th. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.78%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on ATO shares. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Atmos Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $130.00 to $132.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $129.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Diana J. Walters sold 400 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.00, for a total transaction of $47,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,551 shares of the company's stock, valued at $419,018. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total transaction of $1,746,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 186,339 shares in the company, valued at $21,701,039.94. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Diana J. Walters sold 400 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.00, for a total value of $47,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,551 shares in the company, valued at $419,018. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is owned by 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.