Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Sells 6,329 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. trimmed its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 130,058 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 6,329 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.08% of Atmos Energy worth $18,125,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ATO. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its stake in 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 valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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. lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $358,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $320,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 5,973 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $829,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on ATO shares. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price 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. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $146.67 on Friday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $110.97 and a 12-month high of $152.65. The firm has a market capitalization 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. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $141.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $139.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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, analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 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.