Kennedy Capital Management LLC Sells 4,108 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Kennedy Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 21.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 15,090 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,108 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,102,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 68,081 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,482,000 after purchasing an additional 2,350 shares during the period. Texas Yale Capital Corp. raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. now owns 34,784 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,844,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Greenland Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $630,000. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 21,196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,952,000 after buying an additional 1,328 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,107,267 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $432,749,000 after acquiring an additional 223,809 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE:ATO opened at $151.53 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $24.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.59, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.97 and a 12 month high of $157.62. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $149.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $144.39.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on ATO shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Argus upgraded 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.94.

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.