Ethic Inc. Has $6.29 Million Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Ethic Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 37.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 45,166 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,367 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $6,290,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, South Plains Financial Inc. bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $159.87 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $153.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $146.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56. The company has a market capitalization of $25.38 billion, a PE ratio of 22.77, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $110.97 and a 52 week high of $167.45.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.92 by $0.11. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.85 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Mizuho lowered Atmos Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.28.

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.