Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Sells 645 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB decreased its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 20.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,545 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 645 shares during the quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $354,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 100 shares during the period. PFS Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $69,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $79,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $125,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. 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 target on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target 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. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Atmos Energy stock opened at $145.12 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a 50 day moving average of $140.98 and a 200-day moving average of $138.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $110.46 and a 1 year high of $152.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a $0.87 dividend. 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 currently 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.