Natixis Advisors LLC Has $12.79 Million Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 91,846 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,176 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Atmos Energy worth $12,791,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 33.3% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,114,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter valued at $1,897,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 348,988 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,604,000 after purchasing an additional 38,459 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 6,029 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $840,000 after purchasing an additional 681 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Atmos Energy stock opened at $150.81 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $23.94 billion, a PE ratio of 21.48, a PEG 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 1 year low of $110.97 and a 1 year high of $154.55. The company’s 50-day moving average is $145.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $142.37.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. Equities 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 was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on ATO. Mizuho upped 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. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.