Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC Acquires 1,302 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 13.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 10,783 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,302 shares during the quarter. Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,502,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 12.7% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 9,540 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,323,000 after acquiring an additional 1,074 shares in the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,438 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $338,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $367,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 992 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $138,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 2.4% during the third quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 8,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,207,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. 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. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price for the company. 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 note on Friday, November 22nd. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO opened at $149.87 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.79 billion, a PE ratio of 21.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.72. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.97 and a 52-week high of $152.65. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $141.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $139.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS 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 predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders 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 2.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Atmos Energy Company 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.