Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC lowered its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 65,452 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,277 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $9,083,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $301,000. Waterloo Capital L.P. grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 14.6% in the 4th quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 16,259 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,264,000 after acquiring an additional 2,075 shares during the period. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 157.6% in the 4th quarter. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 42,500 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,919,000 after buying an additional 26,000 shares during the last quarter. Aviva PLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 36.4% in the fourth quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 93,245 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $12,986,000 after acquiring an additional 24,892 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $887,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE ATO traded up $1.42 on Wednesday, hitting $157.69. The stock had a trading volume of 151,421 shares, compared to its average volume of 955,592. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $110.97 and a one year high of $157.63. The company's 50-day moving average is $149.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $144.60. The stock has a market cap of $25.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on ATO. Wolfe Research started coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. 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 given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $151.94.

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.