Signaturefd LLC Cuts Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Signaturefd LLC decreased its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 11.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,114 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 144 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $129,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 984.6% in the 3rd quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 282 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 107.0% in 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 during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 57.5% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its position in Atmos Energy by 48.9% in the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 496 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 186,339 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,701,039.94. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Atmos Energy stock opened at $118.64 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $17.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $101.00 and a 1-year high of $125.28. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $115.64 and a 200-day moving average of $114.07.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 23.43% and a return on equity of 8.62%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.91 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.59 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, April 12th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 price target for the company. Barclays increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $124.33.

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.