Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Alberta Investment Management Corp

Alberta Investment Management Corp lowered its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 24.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,500 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,400 shares during the quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,045,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 10.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,906,618,000 after purchasing an additional 1,341,640 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,800,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,498,153,000 after buying an additional 362,594 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 885,950 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $122,890,000 after acquiring an additional 34,555 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 636,660 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $88,311,000 after acquiring an additional 13,714 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 15.0% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 560,790 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $77,788,000 after acquiring an additional 73,007 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Atmos Energy stock opened at $149.87 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.72. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $141.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $139.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $110.97 and a 1 year high of $152.65.

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

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 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.