Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Schnieders Capital Management LLC

Schnieders Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 13.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 350 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $267,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,347,371 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,049,467,000 after acquiring an additional 538,578 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,990,424 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $952,356,000 after purchasing an additional 452,247 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 47.2% during the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,191,850 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $126,253,000 after purchasing an additional 382,167 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 168.1% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 511,621 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $54,196,000 after purchasing an additional 320,817 shares during the period. Finally, MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,228,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO traded up $0.99 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $118.66. The stock had a trading volume of 689,160 shares, compared to its average volume of 827,181. The firm has a market cap of $17.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.66, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $101.00 and a fifty-two week high of $125.28. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $115.30 and a 200-day moving average of $113.86.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by ($0.01). Atmos Energy had a net margin of 23.43% and a return on equity of 8.62%. The firm had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.91 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were given a dividend of $0.805 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.71%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 51.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on ATO shares. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. UBS Group began coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, April 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $124.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total transaction of $1,746,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 186,339 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,701,039.94. 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 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.