Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Intech Investment Management LLC

Intech Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 71.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,194 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 15,600 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $863,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 10.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,906,618,000 after buying an additional 1,341,640 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $112,002,000. Nilsine Partners LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $76,360,000. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,800,610 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,498,153,000 after purchasing an additional 362,594 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 2,212.0% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 291,572 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $40,446,000 after buying an additional 278,961 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.5 %

ATO traded up $0.82 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $150.98. 661,547 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 823,615. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.97 and a fifty-two week high of $154.55. The company has a market cap of $23.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.51, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. 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's fifty day simple moving average is $146.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $143.00.

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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 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $156.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target 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. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $149.15.

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.