Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Has $18.99 Million Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System trimmed its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 136,373 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 3,287 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System owned approximately 0.09% of Atmos Energy worth $18,993,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 72.5% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its position in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $79,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on ATO. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $156.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $149.15.

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Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO stock traded down $2.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $148.72. The company had a trading volume of 1,937,687 shares, compared to its average volume of 823,326. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $110.97 and a one year high of $154.55. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $146.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $142.63.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.34%. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

Atmos Energy 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.