Magellan Asset Management Ltd lowered its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 14.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 118,171 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 20,009 shares during the period. Magellan Asset Management Ltd owned 0.07% of Atmos Energy worth $16,458,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 33.3% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,114,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 348,988 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $48,604,000 after purchasing an additional 38,459 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 6,029 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $840,000 after buying an additional 681 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 58,229 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $8,077,000 after buying an additional 5,884 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.
Atmos Energy Trading Up 2.9 %
NYSE ATO traded up $4.22 on Tuesday, hitting $149.28. 374,020 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 890,764. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $110.97 and a twelve month high of $157.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. The company's 50 day moving average price is $148.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $143.94.
Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. Analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is 49.57%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
ATO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Wolfe Research started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. 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. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded 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, four have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $149.15.
Read Our Latest Report on Atmos Energy
About Atmos Energy
(
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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