OLD National Bancorp IN Boosts Stock Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

OLD National Bancorp IN grew its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 31.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,555 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,325 shares during the period. OLD National Bancorp IN’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $644,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP grew its position in Atmos Energy by 984.6% in the third quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 282 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in 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 grew its position in Atmos Energy by 107.0% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 294 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Atmos Energy by 80.5% in the third quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 296 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $1,746,900.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 186,339 shares in the company, valued at $21,701,039.94. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE:ATO opened at $118.66 on Thursday. 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’s fifty day moving average is $115.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.90. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $101.00 and a 52 week high of $125.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.66.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.09 by ($0.01). The company 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 business posted $1.91 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.59 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.