Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Director Kim R. Cocklin Sells 15,000 Shares of Stock

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.98, for a total value of $2,264,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 172,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. This represents a 7.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 2.3%

NYSE:ATO opened at $155.80 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $154.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $147.31. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $110.97 and a one year high of $167.45. The company has a market capitalization of $24.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. Atmos Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.85 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 191.2% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 166 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 141.2% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 234 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, Mizuho downgraded Atmos Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.28.

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.