Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Stock Position Raised by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 10.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,872 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 267 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $400,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 152.6% during the 4th quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,166 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $580,000 after acquiring an additional 2,517 shares in the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,648 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $787,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 397,828 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $55,406,000 after buying an additional 10,367 shares during the period. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth $125,000. Finally, Global X Japan Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 3,646 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $508,000 after buying an additional 295 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO opened at $148.71 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $23.60 billion, a PE ratio of 21.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.72. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $141.62 and a 200-day moving average of $139.48. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.97 and a 52-week high of $152.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.