Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Asset Management One Co. Ltd.

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lowered its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 130,058 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 6,329 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. owned about 0.08% of Atmos Energy worth $18,125,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Buckhead Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Buckhead Capital Management LLC now owns 19,158 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,668,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. MGB Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. MGB Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,697 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $375,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 48,030 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $6,689,000 after acquiring an additional 6,369 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 24.8% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 176,878 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $24,477,000 after acquiring an additional 35,190 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $2,410,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of ATO traded up $0.65 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $148.71. The company had a trading volume of 777,475 shares, compared to its average volume of 900,594. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $110.97 and a 12-month high of $152.65. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $141.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $139.28. The company has a market capitalization of $23.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.18, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.72.

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

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Atmos Energy 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.