Capital Group Private Client Services Inc. Purchases New Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Capital Group Private Client Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 162,032 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $22,566,000. Capital Group Private Client Services Inc. owned 0.10% of Atmos Energy as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,367,100 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,836,526,000 after buying an additional 282,156 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 211.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,160,144 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,136,463,000 after acquiring an additional 5,543,451 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,806,449 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $528,760,000 after acquiring an additional 107,700 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,107,267 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $432,749,000 after purchasing an additional 223,809 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $206,538,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO traded down $1.41 on Wednesday, hitting $158.70. 677,040 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 917,219. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.97 and a 1-year high of $161.69. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $150.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $145.24.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 2.19%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $154.39.

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.