Jennison Associates LLC Sells 2,985 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Jennison Associates LLC cut its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 229,307 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,985 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC owned approximately 0.15% of Atmos Energy worth $31,936,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the third quarter worth $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 17.9% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 917 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 50.8% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 992 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $138,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares of the company's stock, valued at $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE:ATO traded down $0.63 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $142.49. The company's stock had a trading volume of 660,083 shares, compared to its average volume of 915,958. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.46 and a fifty-two week high of $152.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $22.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.72. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $141.10 and a 200-day moving average of $138.32.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is 49.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. 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 for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $148.75.

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.