Park Avenue Securities LLC Raises Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 3.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,049 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $362,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 984.6% during the 3rd quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 282 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the period. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 107.0% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 294 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 57.5% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE ATO opened at $116.65 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $116.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $115.58. The company has a market capitalization of $17.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $101.00 and a 52 week high of $125.28.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th were paid a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 24th. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.76%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is presently 48.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Diana J. Walters sold 400 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $419,018. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Atmos Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $130.00 to $132.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $128.67.

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.