17,305 Shares in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Bought by Kentucky Trust Co

Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 17,305 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,410,000. Atmos Energy accounts for about 1.4% of Kentucky Trust Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 10.8% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,906,618,000 after acquiring an additional 1,341,640 shares during the last quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $76,360,000. State Street Corp boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,800,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,498,153,000 after purchasing an additional 362,594 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 2,212.0% in the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 291,572 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $40,446,000 after purchasing an additional 278,961 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the third quarter worth about $32,221,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of ATO opened at $145.12 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $140.98 and its 200 day moving average is $138.63. The company has a market capitalization of $23.03 billion, a PE ratio of 20.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.72. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $110.46 and a 12-month high of $152.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on ATO shares. Bank of America started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Argus raised 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.75.

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.