Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Stock Position Lessened by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 68.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,123 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,451 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $156,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. PFS Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $69,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $79,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $125,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Atmos Energy stock opened at $147.43 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56. The firm has a market cap of $23.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.72. The business’s fifty day moving average is $141.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.53. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $110.97 and a 52 week high of $152.65.

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

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend 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.