Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Decreases Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky cut its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,579 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 216 shares during the quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,458,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ATO. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 5,759 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $639,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the period. Taylor Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth $517,000. Burford Brothers Inc. bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth $528,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 1,489,174 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $172,595,000 after acquiring an additional 50,209 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth $567,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $116.29 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $116.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $115.49. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $101.00 and a twelve month high of $125.28. The stock has a market cap of $17.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.43, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.62 by $0.23. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.01% and a net margin of 24.65%. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th were issued a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 24th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.77%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 48.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ATO shares. Mizuho increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Atmos Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $132.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, April 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 target price for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.17.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Diana J. Walters sold 400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.00, for a total transaction of $47,200.00. Following 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 SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Diana J. Walters sold 400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.00, for a total transaction of $47,200.00. Following 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 SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $1,746,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 186,339 shares in the company, valued at $21,701,039.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.