Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Has $13.59 Million Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 43.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 97,575 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,373 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned 0.06% of Atmos Energy worth $13,589,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, South Plains Financial Inc. bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $51,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.9%

ATO opened at $159.87 on Monday. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $110.97 and a twelve month high of $167.45. The company has a fifty day moving average of $153.61 and a 200-day moving average of $147.03. The stock has a market cap of $25.39 billion, a PE ratio of 22.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

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

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Mizuho downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research note on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.