Van ECK Associates Corp Has $6.69 Million Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 15.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 48,030 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 6,369 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $6,689,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ATO. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $79,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $125,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of ATO traded up $2.25 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $149.87. 1,057,685 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 897,382. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.97 and a fifty-two week high of $152.65. The business has a 50-day moving average of $141.95 and a 200-day moving average of $139.69.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. On average, research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.57%.

About Atmos Energy

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.