Community Financial Services Group LLC Increases Stock Position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO)

Community Financial Services Group LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 2.8% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 7,403 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,144,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Capital International Investors raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 211.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,160,144 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,136,463,000 after buying an additional 5,543,451 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $206,538,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 541.4% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,525,116 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $212,403,000 after buying an additional 1,287,325 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 146.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,713,421 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $238,628,000 after buying an additional 1,017,575 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $112,002,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on ATO shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of 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 shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.05.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Atmos Energy stock opened at $156.39 on Tuesday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $113.46 and a 52-week high of $167.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $156.37 and a 200-day moving average of $149.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.72, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released 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 25.35% and a return on equity of 9.05%. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.85 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $26,063,979.36. This represents a 7.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

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.