ExodusPoint Capital Management LP Purchases New Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

ExodusPoint Capital Management LP bought a new position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 11,542 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,607,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 20.2% during the 4th quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,769 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $242,000 after buying an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 362,998 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $50,555,000 after purchasing an additional 17,481 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,806,449 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $528,760,000 after purchasing an additional 107,700 shares in the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth $279,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Atmos Energy by 69.9% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 35,965 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,009,000 after purchasing an additional 14,794 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE:ATO traded up $2.89 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $154.37. 68,718 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 901,353. The company has a market cap of $24.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $110.97 and a 1 year high of $157.62. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $149.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $144.39. 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 (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on ATO shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $151.94.

Atmos Energy Company 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.