Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 142,687 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lessened its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 96.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,353 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 142,687 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $827,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. South Plains Financial Inc. bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Bank of New Hampshire bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $58,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ATO shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Atmos Energy from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.05.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.0%

ATO stock opened at $152.23 on Thursday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $113.46 and a 1-year high of $167.45. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $156.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $148.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.71.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.92 by $0.11. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.05% and a net margin of 25.35%. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.85 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th were issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.98, for a total transaction of $2,264,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 172,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. The trade was a 7.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.