Horizon Investment Services LLC Sells 196 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Horizon Investment Services LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 6.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,876 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 196 shares during the period. Horizon Investment Services LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $342,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 107.0% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 294 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 57.5% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 200.0% during the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on ATO shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Atmos Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $132.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, April 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 price objective on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of ATO traded up $1.07 on Friday, reaching $120.94. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 816,031 shares, compared to its average volume of 831,150. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $101.00 and a twelve month high of $125.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.25 billion, a PE ratio of 18.13, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.67. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $116.38 and a 200-day moving average of $115.69.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $2.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.54 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.78 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th were given a $0.805 dividend. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 24th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 48.28%.

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.