Cooke & Bieler LP trimmed its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 24.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,137,040 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 368,198 shares during the period. Atmos Energy makes up about 1.5% of Cooke & Bieler LP's holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Cooke & Bieler LP owned 0.73% of Atmos Energy worth $158,356,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ATO. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,906,618,000 after buying an additional 1,341,640 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth $112,002,000. Nilsine Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth $76,360,000. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,800,610 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,498,153,000 after purchasing an additional 362,594 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 2,212.0% in the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 291,572 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $40,446,000 after purchasing an additional 278,961 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Atmos Energy Stock Performance
Shares of ATO stock opened at $149.80 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $110.97 and a one year high of $154.55. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $144.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.34, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67.
Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Atmos Energy Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
ATO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Mizuho increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. Finally, Argus upgraded 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. One equities research 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $148.75.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on ATO
About Atmos Energy
(
Free Report)
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.
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