Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Bought by Gulf International Bank UK Ltd

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 26.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 15,102 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,135 shares during the period. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,795,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $137,757,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 11.6% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,032,032 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,162,713,000 after purchasing an additional 1,041,608 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.9% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,347,371 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,049,467,000 after purchasing an additional 538,578 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 46.2% in the first quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 1,411,697 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $167,808,000 after purchasing an additional 446,292 shares during the period. Finally, Reaves W H & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 281.3% in the fourth quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 562,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $65,208,000 after purchasing an additional 415,054 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of ATO stock opened at $116.29 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $116.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $115.49. 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 1-year low of $101.00 and a 1-year high of $125.28. The firm has a market cap of $17.55 billion, a PE ratio of 17.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.67.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $2.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.62 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.54 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 24.65% and a return on equity of 9.01%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.48 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.78 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 28th were issued a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 24th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.77%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.28%.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on ATO shares. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, April 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Atmos Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $132.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.17.

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.