Key Points
- Director Sean Donohue sold 450 shares on December 3 at an average price of $171.15 for a total of $77,017.50, cutting his stake by 33.91% to 877 shares (SEC filing).
- Dividend increased: Atmos raised its quarterly dividend to $1.00 (from $0.87), payable December 8, representing a $4.00 annualized payout and a 2.3% yield with a 53.4% payout ratio.
- Stock and analyst snapshot: ATO traded near $171.07 with a $27.66B market cap and a P/E of 22.8, and analysts hold an average "Hold" rating with a roughly $171.67 target amid mixed price objectives.
Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) Director Sean Donohue sold 450 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.15, for a total transaction of $77,017.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 877 shares in the company, valued at $150,098.55. The trade was a 33.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.
Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.1%
ATO stock traded up $0.12 during trading on Friday, reaching $171.07. The company had a trading volume of 179,464 shares, compared to its average volume of 958,930. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $136.05 and a 52 week high of $180.65. The company has a market cap of $27.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.81, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.75. The business has a 50 day moving average of $174.46 and a 200 day moving average of $164.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.65.
Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 14th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.07% and a net margin of 25.49%.The business had revenue of $737.48 million for the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Atmos Energy Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 8th. Investors of record on Monday, November 24th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 24th. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.87. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is currently 53.40%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
ATO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays set a $175.00 price objective on Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b+)" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $182.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Bank of America restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $185.00 price objective (up previously from $182.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, October 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $171.67.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on ATO
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy
A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ATO. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.2% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,086 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $325,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 30.4% during the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 279 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Little House Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.6% during the third quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 10,733 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,833,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. SouthState Corp increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.9% during the first quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 1,447 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,871 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $289,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.
About Atmos Energy
(
Get Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from InsiderTrades.com in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
