Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Icon Advisers Inc. Co.

Icon Advisers Inc. Co. decreased its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 20.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,500 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,500 shares during the period. Icon Advisers Inc. Co.'s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,323,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $206,538,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $112,002,000. Nilsine Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $76,360,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,367,100 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,836,526,000 after purchasing an additional 282,156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,107,267 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $432,749,000 after buying an additional 223,809 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.7 %

ATO traded up $1.06 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $157.37. The company's stock had a trading volume of 904,405 shares, compared to its average volume of 910,066. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.97 and a 52-week high of $159.20. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $150.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $144.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $24.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.42, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ATO. 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. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $154.39.

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.