Golden State Equity Partners Grows Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Golden State Equity Partners grew its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 28,909.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,191 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 3,180 shares during the period. Golden State Equity Partners' holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $444,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,906,618,000 after acquiring an additional 1,341,640 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,800,610 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,498,153,000 after purchasing an additional 362,594 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 885,950 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $122,890,000 after purchasing an additional 34,555 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in Atmos Energy by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 636,660 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $88,311,000 after buying an additional 13,714 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 15.0% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 560,790 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $77,788,000 after buying an additional 73,007 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Atmos Energy stock traded down $0.63 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $142.49. The stock had a trading volume of 660,083 shares, compared to its average volume of 914,007. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.46 and a 1-year high of $152.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.74, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72. The stock's fifty day moving average is $141.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.04% and a return on equity of 8.83%. As a group, analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $156.00 price objective on the stock. 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 reduced their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $148.75.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.