Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Position Lowered by Mattern Capital Management LLC

Mattern Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 64,991 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,420 shares during the quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $9,051,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its stake 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. raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. PFS Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth about $69,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $79,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $125,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $147.43 on Friday. The firm’s 50 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.00, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.36%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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