Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by TIAA Trust National Association

TIAA Trust National Association decreased its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 13.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,153 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 644 shares during the quarter. TIAA Trust National Association’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $578,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 72.5% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased 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 last quarter. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $79,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.5 %

Atmos Energy stock opened at $150.98 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. 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 Co. has a twelve month low of $110.97 and a twelve month high of $154.55. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $146.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $143.06.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ATO shares. Bank of America began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.15.

Atmos Energy Company 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.