Vanguard Group Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund 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 about 12.83% of Atmos Energy worth $2,836,526,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ATO. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 11.9% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,605 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $361,000 after buying an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $209,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 4.1% in 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 purchasing an additional 34,555 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its position in Atmos Energy by 64.9% in the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 5,439 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $754,000 after purchasing an additional 2,140 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 32.0% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 67,729 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,395,000 after purchasing an additional 16,409 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $148.43 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $146.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.95. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.97 and a fifty-two week high of $154.55. The firm has a market cap of $23.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.34%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATO has been the topic of several analyst reports. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley lifted 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. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.15.

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.