Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lowered its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 27,529 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 182 shares during the quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $3,191,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 984.6% during the 3rd quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 282 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the period. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 107.0% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 294 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 57.5% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $1,746,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 186,339 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,701,039.94. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of Atmos Energy stock traded down $1.24 on Friday, hitting $116.93. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 733,068 shares, compared to its average volume of 666,103. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.44. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $101.00 and a 1 year high of $125.28. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $115.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.98. The company has a market capitalization of $17.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.66.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.09 by ($0.01). Atmos Energy had a net margin of 23.43% and a return on equity of 8.62%. The business had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.91 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.75%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on ATO shares. Barclays lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, April 12th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $124.33.

Atmos Energy Company 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.