Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 1,271 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Securian Asset Management Inc. cut its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 12.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,310 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,271 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,079,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 281.3% in the 4th quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 562,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $65,208,000 after acquiring an additional 415,054 shares in the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 247,048 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,633,000 after purchasing an additional 61,708 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 76.7% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 138,150 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $16,012,000 after purchasing an additional 59,979 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 19.6% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,484,105 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $172,008,000 after buying an additional 242,722 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its position in Atmos Energy by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 21,198 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,246,000 after buying an additional 693 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATO has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 10th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, April 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $130.00 to $132.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.17.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of ATO opened at $118.51 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $17.88 billion, a PE ratio of 17.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $101.00 and a 12-month high of $125.28. The business’s 50 day moving average is $117.06 and its 200 day moving average is $115.08.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $2.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.54 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 24.65% and a return on equity of 9.01%. Atmos Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.48 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be issued a $0.805 dividend. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 24th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 48.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Diana J. Walters sold 400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.00, for a total transaction of $47,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,551 shares in the company, valued at approximately $419,018. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Atmos Energy news, Director Diana J. Walters sold 400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.00, for a total value of $47,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $419,018. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 186,339 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,701,039.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.