Sei Investments Co. Has $83.63 Million Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Sei Investments Co. cut its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 12.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 600,454 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 83,866 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $83,625,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 11.9% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,605 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.8% in the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 22,689 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,147,000 after buying an additional 1,030 shares during the last quarter. Commerce Bank lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.5% in the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 11,437 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,586,000 after buying an additional 1,268 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $209,000. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 205.4% in the third quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 38,148 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,292,000 after buying an additional 25,657 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Atmos Energy stock opened at $148.72 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $146.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $142.63. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $110.97 and a one year high of $154.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The firm has a market cap of $23.61 billion, a PE ratio of 21.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ATO. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research report 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. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. 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, 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 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.15.

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.