Sigma Planning Corp Sells 1,778 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Sigma Planning Corp trimmed its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 34.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,402 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,778 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $474,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ATO. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 10.8% in 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 lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,800,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,498,153,000 after purchasing an additional 362,594 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 4.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 885,950 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $122,890,000 after purchasing an additional 34,555 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 2.2% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 636,660 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $88,311,000 after purchasing an additional 13,714 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 73,007 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $149.98 on Friday. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $110.97 and a twelve month high of $152.65. The firm has a market cap of $23.81 billion, a PE ratio of 21.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.72. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $142.61 and a 200-day moving average of $140.25.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results 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 return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 49.57%.

Atmos Energy 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.