Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Sells 658 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd decreased its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 9,706 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 658 shares during the period. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,346,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,472,036 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,314,641,000 after acquiring an additional 127,199 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 5.6% in the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,575,191 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $187,243,000 after purchasing an additional 83,661 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,550,227 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $180,834,000 after purchasing an additional 19,981 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,521,696 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $177,506,000 after purchasing an additional 66,345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sfmg LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sfmg LLC now owns 1,059,221 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $123,558,000 after purchasing an additional 9,253 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $141.44 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $138.02 and a 200 day moving average of $126.62. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $107.82 and a 52-week high of $144.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.96 billion, a PE ratio of 20.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.68.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 prior year, the company earned $0.94 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. This is an increase from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.46%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.87%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ATO. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lifted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $143.94.

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.