Summit Investment Advisors Inc. Reduces Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 6.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,774 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 829 shares during the period. Summit Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,640,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $206,538,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth $112,002,000. Nilsine Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $76,360,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,367,100 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,836,526,000 after acquiring an additional 282,156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,107,267 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $432,749,000 after purchasing an additional 223,809 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 1.0 %

ATO stock opened at $156.45 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market cap of $24.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.29, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $149.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $144.60. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $110.97 and a 52 week high of $157.62.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS 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, equities research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One investment 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.94.

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.