Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Stock Holdings Cut by Retirement Systems of Alabama

Retirement Systems of Alabama lessened its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 32,727 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 841 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $3,793,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ATO. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 17,555 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,860,000 after acquiring an additional 812 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 23.1% during the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 73,528 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,789,000 after purchasing an additional 13,805 shares during the last quarter. Forsta AP Fonden boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 4.4% during the third quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 19,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,013,000 after buying an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in Atmos Energy by 3.2% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 23,951 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,537,000 after buying an additional 753 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 103.6% in the third quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 35,886 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,744,000 after buying an additional 18,262 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $119.45 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $18.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $101.00 and a 1-year high of $125.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $116.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.32.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.09 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 23.43% and a return on equity of 8.62%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.91 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $1,746,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 186,339 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,701,039.94. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ATO shares. Barclays raised 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. 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 target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, April 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $124.33.

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.