Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Cetera Investment Advisers

Cetera Investment Advisers trimmed its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 20.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,256 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,305 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,013,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ATO. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,032,032 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,162,713,000 after buying an additional 1,041,608 shares during the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 46.2% during the 1st 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 last quarter. M&G Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter worth $32,941,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,532.1% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 218,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,511,000 after buying an additional 205,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 36.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 730,759 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $85,240,000 after buying an additional 196,163 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $139.36 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $133.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $123.39. The stock has a market cap of $21.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.89, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $105.44 and a 1-year high of $140.04.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.09% and a return on equity of 8.94%. The business had revenue of $701.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $924.75 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.94 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 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, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were given a dividend of $0.805 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 48.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on ATO shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price target for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $142.56.

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.