Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Trims Stock Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lessened its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,543,027 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 9,223 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 0.97% of Atmos Energy worth $214,897,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 11.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 58,229 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $8,077,000 after purchasing an additional 5,884 shares during the last quarter. PDT Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $222,000. Hilltop Holdings Inc. bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $249,000. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 25.4% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 72,703 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $10,103,000 after purchasing an additional 14,714 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Investment Management Corp of Ontario increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.5% during the third quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 5,064 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $702,000 after acquiring an additional 1,700 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on ATO. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Bank of America initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $156.00 target price on the stock. 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 note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $149.15.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO stock traded up $2.01 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $148.86. 1,471,632 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 901,020. 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 12-month low of $110.97 and a 12-month high of $157.62. The stock's 50 day moving average is $148.74 and its 200 day moving average is $144.15. The company has a market cap of $23.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released 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%. On average, research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current 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 paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.57%.

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.