Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Director Sells $2,264,700.00 in 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 transaction of $2,264,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 172,632 shares in the company, valued at $26,063,979.36. The trade was a 7.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of ATO stock opened at $157.61 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $154.27 and a 200-day moving average of $147.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $110.97 and a 12-month high of $167.45. The company has a market capitalization of $25.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 48.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Six equities research 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.15.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Barclays PLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 15.0% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 560,790 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $77,788,000 after purchasing an additional 73,007 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,147 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,407,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank grew its position in Atmos Energy by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 33,658 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,688,000 after purchasing an additional 2,036 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $205,000. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 37.8% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 3,370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $469,000 after purchasing an additional 925 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

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.