Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Sells 95 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. reduced its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 26,601 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 95 shares during the quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $3,083,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Cibc World Market Inc. bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the first quarter worth $4,131,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 7.1% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 556,036 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $66,443,000 after acquiring an additional 36,977 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 77.8% during the first quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 91,071 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $10,882,000 after acquiring an additional 39,843 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 51.0% during the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 13,029 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,557,000 after acquiring an additional 4,401 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudential PLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the first quarter worth $494,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on ATO shares. UBS Group started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, April 12th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Barclays increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $124.33.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $1,746,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 186,339 shares in the company, valued at $21,701,039.94. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $114.58 on Thursday. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $101.00 and a twelve month high of $125.28. The firm has a market cap of $17.28 billion, a PE ratio of 18.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.44. The business has a fifty day moving average of $114.98 and a 200-day moving average of $113.50.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by ($0.01). Atmos Energy had a net margin of 23.43% and a return on equity of 8.62%. The business had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.91 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a $0.805 dividend. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 51.11%.

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.