Global Retirement Partners LLC Sells 4,842 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Global Retirement Partners LLC lessened its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 81.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,131 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,842 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $158,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc. lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 9,865 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,374,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $358,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Atmos Energy by 3.7% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greenleaf Trust raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,524 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $352,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price for the company. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Mizuho increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $149.97 on Thursday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.97 and a 1-year high of $152.65. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $142.33 and its 200 day moving average is $140.18. The company has a market cap of $23.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.36, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.72. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. Research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.