Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Position Decreased by Smartleaf Asset Management LLC

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC reduced its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 38.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 458 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 286 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $64,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% in 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 last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the fourth 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 during the period. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $79,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 23.0% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 598 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE:ATO opened at $148.63 on Monday. 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 $23.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $144.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $141.35. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $110.97 and a 52 week high of $154.55.

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 net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. On average, research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.34%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Atmos Energy Company 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.