Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Stock Position Decreased by Securian Asset Management Inc.

Securian Asset Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,305 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 202 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,157,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased 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 valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $79,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Mizuho upped their price target 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. StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $150.12 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $145.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $141.84. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $110.97 and a 12-month high of $154.55.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. Equities analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Atmos Energy 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.