Cibc World Markets Corp Has $3.41 Million Stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Cibc World Markets Corp increased its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 17.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 24,477 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 3,705 shares during the quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $3,409,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 11.9% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,605 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 5.6% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 88,670 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $12,299,000 after buying an additional 4,718 shares in the last quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 6.3% in the third quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 36,605 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,077,000 after acquiring an additional 2,173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LMR Partners LLP acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $224,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of ATO traded down $1.21 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $148.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 875,833 shares, compared to its average volume of 822,638. The company has a 50 day moving average of $146.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $142.83. 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 firm has a market cap of $23.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.97 and a 1-year high of $154.55.

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 for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.34%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $149.15.

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.