Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Raises Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 58,900 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $8,203,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. New York Life Investment Management LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 20,765 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,892,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $280,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 294.3% during the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 46,022 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,409,000 after purchasing an additional 34,349 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 30,960 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,312,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $175,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $152.30 on Friday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $110.97 and a 1 year high of $152.65. The company has a market cap of $24.17 billion, a PE ratio of 21.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.72. 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 stock’s 50-day moving average is $142.85 and its 200 day moving average is $140.31.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. 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.