Bank of New York Mellon Corp Boosts Stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 0.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 932,324 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,578 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $129,845,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $69,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $79,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $125,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Atmos Energy Stock Up 1.8 %

ATO stock opened at $152.30 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $142.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $140.31. The company has a market cap of $24.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.70, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.97 and a 12 month high of $152.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio 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.