Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Grows Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 10.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,975 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 552 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $832,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its stake 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 valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 50.0% during 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. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth $79,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on ATO. Bank of America started 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 on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.15.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.5 %

ATO opened at $150.98 on Friday. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $146.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $143.06. The company has a market capitalization of $23.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.51, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. 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, 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%. Analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. Atmos Energy’s 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.