Kentucky Trust Co Acquires Shares of 17,305 Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 17,305 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,410,000. Atmos Energy comprises about 1.4% of Kentucky Trust Co's holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ATO. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $79,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $125,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO traded down $1.31 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $146.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 745,597 shares, compared to its average volume of 915,958. The business's 50-day moving average price is $141.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $139.01. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.97 and a 12 month high of $152.65. The stock has a market cap of $23.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. Sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $156.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $148.75.

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.