Vanguard Group Inc. Purchases 282,156 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,367,100 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 282,156 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 12.83% of Atmos Energy worth $2,836,526,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 9,865 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,374,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $358,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 2,921 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $407,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greenleaf Trust grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,524 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $352,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $156.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $149.15.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO traded up $1.46 during trading on Friday, hitting $152.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 858,334 shares, compared to its average volume of 880,141. The company has a 50-day moving average of $147.10 and a 200-day moving average of $143.24. 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 firm has a market cap of $24.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.97 and a 12 month high of $154.55.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.