Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Sigma Planning Corp

Sigma Planning Corp lessened its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 22.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,780 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 821 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $322,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 984.6% in the 3rd quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 282 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 256 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 57.5% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 107.0% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 294 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $116.93 on Friday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $101.00 and a 1 year high of $125.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $115.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $114.00.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.91 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.75%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 51.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATO has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. Barclays upped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, April 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $124.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $21,701,039.94. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Atmos Energy 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.