Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Yaupon Capital Management LP

Yaupon Capital Management LP reduced its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 25.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 130,595 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 43,905 shares during the quarter. Yaupon Capital Management LP owned 0.08% of Atmos Energy worth $18,188,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 211.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,160,144 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,136,463,000 after purchasing an additional 5,543,451 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $206,538,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $112,002,000. Nilsine Partners LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $76,360,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,367,100 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,836,526,000 after acquiring an additional 282,156 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO traded up $0.07 during trading on Thursday, hitting $159.66. The stock had a trading volume of 1,498,236 shares, compared to its average volume of 925,687. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $110.97 and a 12-month high of $161.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $151.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $145.34.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on ATO shares. Wolfe Research started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $154.39.

Atmos Energy 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.