US Bancorp DE Lowers Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

US Bancorp DE reduced its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 8,202 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 109 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,142,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.8% in the 4th 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. grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $358,000 after acquiring 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, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc grew its position in Atmos Energy by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 2,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $407,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of ATO opened at $148.63 on Monday. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.97 and a fifty-two week high of $154.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.59 billion, a PE ratio of 21.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. The company’s fifty day moving average is $144.05 and its 200 day moving average is $141.35. 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 (NYSE:ATO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. Sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 49.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Bank of America assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Mizuho increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. 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. Finally, Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.75.

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.