National Bank of Canada FI Sells 6,617 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

National Bank of Canada FI decreased its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 8.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 72,694 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 6,617 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $10,124,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during 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. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $79,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of ATO traded down $1.03 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $147.86. The company's stock had a trading volume of 169,074 shares, compared to its average volume of 898,187. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $110.97 and a 1 year high of $157.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market cap of $23.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. The business has a fifty day moving average of $148.74 and a 200 day moving average of $144.15.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. As a group, analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.35%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is 49.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ATO. Morgan Stanley upped their price target 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. StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $156.00 price objective on the stock. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $149.15.

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.