Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lessened its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 49.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 99,041 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 96,200 shares during the quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ owned about 0.06% of Atmos Energy worth $13,760,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ATO. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 10.8% in 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 in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.5% in 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 acquiring an additional 362,594 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 915,695 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $127,529,000 after acquiring an additional 29,745 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 818,991 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $114,266,000 after acquiring an additional 17,004 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $112,002,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

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Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO traded up $0.25 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $150.81. 702,373 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 900,071. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $23.94 billion, a PE ratio of 21.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $145.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $142.31. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.97 and a 52-week high of $154.55.

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 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, equities research 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 was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ATO. Mizuho raised their target price 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. 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 target price on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $148.75.

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.