Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by State of Alaska Department of Revenue

State of Alaska Department of Revenue reduced its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 25.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,698 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 6,191 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,464,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ATO. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc. raised its position in Atmos Energy by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 9,865 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,374,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Trust Point Inc. raised its position in Atmos Energy by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 3.7% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 1.4% during the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 5,973 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $829,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on ATO. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. 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 assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of ATO traded down $1.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $146.67. The stock had a trading volume of 745,597 shares, compared to its average volume of 901,840. The business's fifty day moving average is $141.20 and its 200 day moving average is $139.01. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.97 and a 52-week high of $152.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market cap of $23.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.72.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.37%. Atmos Energy's dividend 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.