Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Acquired by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,806,449 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 107,700 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 2.40% of Atmos Energy worth $528,760,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the third 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. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in 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 last quarter. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $79,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on ATO shares. Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. 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 target price on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $149.15.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.0 %

ATO stock opened at $155.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The firm has a market cap of $24.64 billion, a PE ratio of 22.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.97 and a 12 month high of $157.62. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $148.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $143.72.

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

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

About Atmos Energy

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.