Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Purchased by Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors

Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 7.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,969 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the period. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors’ holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $344,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vest Financial LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 247,048 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,633,000 after acquiring an additional 61,708 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 3.4% during the third quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 21,198 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,246,000 after acquiring an additional 693 shares during the period. Lido Advisors LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 29.6% during the third quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 19,601 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,076,000 after acquiring an additional 4,479 shares during the period. Cambridge Trust Co. raised its position in Atmos Energy by 0.5% during the third quarter. Cambridge Trust Co. now owns 46,329 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,908,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares during the period. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ raised its position in Atmos Energy by 26.8% during the third quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 189,184 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $20,040,000 after acquiring an additional 39,970 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of ATO opened at $113.06 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. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $101.00 and a 12-month high of $125.28. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $114.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by ($0.01). Atmos Energy had a net margin of 23.43% and a return on equity of 8.62%. The firm had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.91 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.59 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group began 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. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. One investment 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, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $124.33.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

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. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Atmos Energy

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.