Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 5,687.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 87,048 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 85,544 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned approximately 0.05% of Atmos Energy worth $12,123,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $79,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ATO. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America initiated 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 for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $148.75.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on ATO
Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.2 %
Shares of Atmos Energy stock traded up $0.25 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $150.81. 702,370 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 817,508. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.97 and a 1-year high of $154.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $145.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $142.31.
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 return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.
About Atmos Energy
(
Free Report)
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.
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