Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Position Increased by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,806,449 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 107,700 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.40% of Atmos Energy worth $528,760,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 33.3% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,114,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew 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 valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 348,988 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $48,604,000 after buying an additional 38,459 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 6,029 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $840,000 after buying an additional 681 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 58,229 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $8,077,000 after buying an additional 5,884 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Atmos Energy stock traded up $2.01 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $148.86. The company had a trading volume of 1,471,632 shares, compared to its average volume of 901,020. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $148.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $144.15. The company has a market capitalization of $23.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $110.97 and a 1 year high of $157.62.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $156.00 target price for the company. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $149.15.

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.