Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Stock Holdings Lowered by Rhumbline Advisers

Rhumbline Advisers reduced its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 324,368 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 6,818 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned about 0.21% of Atmos Energy worth $45,175,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,906,618,000 after acquiring an additional 1,341,640 shares in the last quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth $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 buying an additional 362,594 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 2,212.0% in 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. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,221,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the subject of several research reports. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of ATO stock traded up $2.25 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $149.87. 1,057,685 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 897,382. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.97 and a 12 month high of $152.65. The company has a market cap of $23.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.35, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.72. The company's 50 day moving average price is $141.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $139.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.