Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ reduced its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO – Get Rating) by 11.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 169 shares during the quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $131,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 14.9% during the 2nd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 4,917,780 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $551,284,000 after buying an additional 636,809 shares during the period. Zimmer Partners LP bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the second quarter valued at $71,150,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,962,224 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,026,815,000 after purchasing an additional 547,260 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 24.0% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,756,708 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $329,399,000 after purchasing an additional 533,372 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,772,352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,287,188,000 after purchasing an additional 527,261 shares in the last quarter. 91.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of brokerages recently commented on ATO. StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 8th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $107.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $123.00 to $132.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 14th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $122.88.
Atmos Energy Stock Performance
Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.93 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 17.06% and a return on equity of 8.50%. The company’s revenue was up 46.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.86 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 5.99 earnings per share for the current year.
Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.74 per share. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 16th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is presently 51.84%.
Insider Activity
In related news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 12,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.14, for a total transaction of $1,464,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 228,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,807,020.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.
About Atmos Energy
Atmos Energy Corp. engages in the provision of natural gas services. It operates under the Distribution, and Pipeline and Storage business segments. The Distribution segment is involved in regulated natural gas distribution and related sales operations. The Pipeline and Storage segment includes pipeline and storage operations of Atmos Pipeline-Texas division and natural gas transmission operations.
Read More
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