Treasurer of the State of North Carolina Has $9.48 Million Stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 68,081 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 2,350 shares during the quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $9,482,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $206,538,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $112,002,000. Nilsine Partners LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $76,360,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,367,100 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,836,526,000 after acquiring an additional 282,156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,107,267 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $432,749,000 after acquiring an additional 223,809 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO stock traded up $1.06 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $157.37. 904,405 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 910,066. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $150.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $144.81. 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 Co. has a twelve month low of $110.97 and a twelve month high of $159.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 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 research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on ATO. Argus upgraded 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. StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $154.39.

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.