M&G Plc Sells 15,055 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

M&G Plc decreased its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 245,256 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 15,055 shares during the quarter. M&G Plc’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $34,091,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in ATO. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 75.6% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $91,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 248.5% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 805 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 574 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 158.3% during the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 997 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 611 shares during the period. Finally, Lummis Asset Management LP boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the second quarter. Lummis Asset Management LP now owns 1,128 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $138.88 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $137.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $126.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.39, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $107.82 and a one year high of $144.32.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $701.55 million during 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 posted $0.94 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.8 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.51%. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ATO shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. Barclays increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.