Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Kesler Norman & Wride LLC

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC lowered its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 61.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,476 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,017 shares during the period. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $343,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in ATO. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,032,032 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,162,713,000 after acquiring an additional 1,041,608 shares during the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 46.2% during the first quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 1,411,697 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $167,808,000 after acquiring an additional 446,292 shares during the last quarter. M&G Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the first quarter valued at $32,941,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,532.1% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 218,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,511,000 after acquiring an additional 205,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 36.7% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 730,759 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $85,240,000 after acquiring an additional 196,163 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Atmos Energy stock opened at $138.23 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $132.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $122.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.86 billion, a PE ratio of 20.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.73. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $105.44 and a one year high of $140.04.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $701.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $924.75 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 25.09%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.94 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were issued a dividend of $0.805 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Barclays increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $142.56.

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.