Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC Lowers Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC trimmed its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 4.5% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 155,505 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 7,334 shares during the quarter. Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $17,473,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dark Forest Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in Atmos Energy by 2,500.0% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 260 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $37,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Delta Asset Management LLC TN purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.1 %

Atmos Energy stock traded up $0.15 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $114.18. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 556,937 shares, compared to its average volume of 592,852. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $97.71 and a fifty-two week high of $125.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The company has a market cap of $16.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.62. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $115.85.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.03). Atmos Energy had a net margin of 19.02% and a return on equity of 8.38%. The business had revenue of $662.73 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $959.54 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.92 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 21st were given a dividend of $0.74 per share. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 18th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.68%.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 12,500 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.44, for a total transaction of $1,468,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 212,472 shares in the company, valued at $24,952,711.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Atmos Energy from $126.00 to $122.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 23rd. StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 30th. Barclays initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, August 23rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $122.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Atmos Energy from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $132.00 to $128.00 in a research report on Monday, August 28th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on Atmos Energy from $135.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $125.00.

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.