Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Whittier Trust Co.

Whittier Trust Co. trimmed its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 18.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,683 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,486 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,829,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ATO. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth $137,757,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake 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. Perpetual Ltd grew its position in Atmos Energy by 46.2% during the first quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 1,411,697 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $167,808,000 after buying an additional 446,292 shares during the period. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 415,054 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&G Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,941,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.2 %

ATO opened at $129.39 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $19.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.40, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.67. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $123.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $118.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $101.00 and a 52 week high of $132.24. 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 (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $701.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $924.75 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 24.65% and a return on equity of 9.01%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.94 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.805 per share. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 26th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 24th. StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $133.17.

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.