Pensioenfonds Rail & OV Decreases Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Pensioenfonds Rail & OV reduced its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 23.5% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 309,128 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 94,991 shares during the period. Atmos Energy accounts for approximately 2.7% of Pensioenfonds Rail & OV’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Pensioenfonds Rail & OV’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $36,746,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Portside Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,462 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. now owns 24,285 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,887,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 57.5% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Thomasville National Bank raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Thomasville National Bank now owns 12,767 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,518,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, Bfsg LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 11,220 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,300,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE ATO traded down $0.42 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $116.11. 915,243 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 916,189. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The company has a market cap of $17.52 billion, a PE ratio of 17.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.67. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $101.00 and a 52 week high of $125.28. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $116.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $115.54.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $2.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by $0.23. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 24.65% and a return on equity of 9.01%. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.54 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.48 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 28th were paid a dividend of $0.805 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 24th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.77%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on ATO shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Atmos Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $130.00 to $132.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Barclays increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, April 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 target price on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.67.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Diana J. Walters sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.00, for a total value of $47,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $419,018. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.