Teacher Retirement System of Texas lowered its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO – Free Report) by 34.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,925 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 5,698 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,271,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Perpetual Ltd bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $127,941,000. Zimmer Partners LP bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $104,567,000. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in Atmos Energy by 7.2% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 13,649,229 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,533,627,000 after purchasing an additional 912,138 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Atmos Energy by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,962,224 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,026,815,000 after purchasing an additional 547,260 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Atmos Energy by 24.0% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,756,708 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $329,399,000 after purchasing an additional 533,372 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.98% of the company’s stock.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 12,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.44, for a total value of $1,468,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 212,472 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,952,711.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.
Atmos Energy Stock Up 1.0 %
Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.03). Atmos Energy had a net margin of 19.02% and a return on equity of 8.38%. The firm had revenue of $662.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $959.54 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.92 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Atmos Energy Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 21st were paid a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 18th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 50.68%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, August 23rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $122.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 21st. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $135.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 16th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Thursday. They set a “sell” rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $132.00 to $128.00 in a research report on Monday, August 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $125.25.
Get Our Latest Analysis on ATO
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.
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