Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Has $8.26 Million Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky trimmed its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 12.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 59,285 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 8,244 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $8,256,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 0.8% in the 4th 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. lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 3.2% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 2,921 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Finally, Greenleaf Trust grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,524 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $352,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on ATO shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com lowered shares of 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, March 31st. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $154.39.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE:ATO traded up $0.07 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $159.66. The company had a trading volume of 1,498,236 shares, compared to its average volume of 925,687. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.34 billion, a PE ratio of 22.74, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $151.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $145.34. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $110.97 and a one year high of $161.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

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, 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%. Analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders 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 2.18%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

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.