Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Has $38.35 Million Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 8.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 275,345 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,664 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $38,347,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 1,341,640 shares in the last quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $76,360,000. State Street Corp lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,800,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,498,153,000 after purchasing an additional 362,594 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake 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 valued at $40,446,000 after acquiring an additional 278,961 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $32,221,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO opened at $153.65 on Tuesday. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $110.97 and a twelve month high of $154.04. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $143.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $140.82. 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 company has a market capitalization of $24.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.89, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.72.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share 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 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 49.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on ATO shares. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased 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. One investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.