Norinchukin Bank The Grows Stock Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Norinchukin Bank The boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 10.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,123 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 662 shares during the period. Norinchukin Bank The’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $992,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 72.5% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings 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 valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $79,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 23.0% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 598 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE ATO opened at $156.72 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $150.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $145.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.97 and a 1-year high of $159.20. 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 (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (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%. Equities analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on ATO shares. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.39.

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.