CIBC Asset Management Inc Has $8.86 Million Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 63,736 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,233 shares during the quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $8,862,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atria Investments Inc grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 31,399 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,355,000 after buying an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 33.3% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,114,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,897,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 348,988 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,604,000 after buying an additional 38,459 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $148.12 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $110.97 and a twelve month high of $152.65. The company has a market cap of $23.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $141.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $139.28.

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, topping 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.35%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on ATO shares. StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Mizuho upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Morgan Stanley cut 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. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Bank of America started 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. One equities 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.75.

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.