Prudential Financial Inc. Trims Stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Prudential Financial Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 15.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 83,655 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 15,484 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. owned about 0.05% of Atmos Energy worth $11,651,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings 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 valued at $1,906,618,000 after acquiring an additional 1,341,640 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth $112,002,000. Nilsine Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $76,360,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,800,610 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,498,153,000 after buying an additional 362,594 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 1.4% in the fourth 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 period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Atmos Energy stock traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $154.87. The company had a trading volume of 179,938 shares, compared to its average volume of 896,482. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $110.97 and a 12-month high of $155.62. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $147.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $143.56. 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 company has a market capitalization of $24.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Finally, Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.