Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Trims Stock Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. decreased its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 66,200 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,600 shares during the quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $7,673,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 984.6% during the 3rd quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 282 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 57.5% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 107.0% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 294 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 80.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 296 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. Finally, RVW Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $113.06 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $114.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $101.00 and a 52 week high of $125.28.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 23.43% and a return on equity of 8.62%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.91 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a $0.805 dividend. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 51.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on ATO. Barclays raised 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. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $124.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $1,746,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 186,339 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,701,039.94. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.