Machina Capital S.A.S. bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 8,872 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,236,000.
A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of ATO. Atria Investments Inc raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1.3% in the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 31,399 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,355,000 after acquiring an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 33.3% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,114,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $1,897,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 348,988 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $48,604,000 after buying an additional 38,459 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
ATO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Mizuho upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $156.00 target price for the company. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $148.75.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on ATO
Atmos Energy Trading Down 1.0 %
Shares of NYSE:ATO traded down $1.46 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $147.20. The stock had a trading volume of 644,411 shares, compared to its average volume of 913,029. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.97 and a fifty-two week high of $154.55. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $144.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $141.62. The stock has a market cap of $23.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.97, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is currently 49.57%.
Atmos Energy Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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