California Public Employees Retirement System Acquires 6,249 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 690,440 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 6,249 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned approximately 0.43% of Atmos Energy worth $96,158,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 9,865 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,374,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $358,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 2,921 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greenleaf Trust lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,524 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $352,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Atmos Energy stock traded down $7.65 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $147.64. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,431,793 shares, compared to its average volume of 887,933. The company has a market capitalization of $23.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.03, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $148.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $143.83. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $110.97 and a 12-month high of $157.62. 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 (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. Sell-side analysts predict 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 was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid 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 yield of 2.36%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on ATO shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $156.00 price objective on the stock. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. One equities 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $149.15.

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.