6,370 Shares in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Bought by Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd

Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 6,370 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $887,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 58,229 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $8,077,000 after acquiring an additional 5,884 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth $249,000. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 25.4% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 72,703 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $10,103,000 after acquiring an additional 14,714 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.9% in the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 2,300 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $319,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 114.3% during the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 15,417 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,139,000 after purchasing an additional 8,224 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price 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. StockNews.com cut shares of 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 report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $149.15.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Atmos Energy stock traded up $0.81 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $150.10. The company had a trading volume of 160,330 shares, compared to its average volume of 900,281. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $110.97 and a one year high of $157.62. The firm has a market cap of $23.83 billion, a PE ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $148.84 and a 200 day moving average of $144.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43.

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

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.57%.

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.