Alberta Investment Management Corp Reduces Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Alberta Investment Management Corp reduced its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 24.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 7,500 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,400 shares during the period. Alberta Investment Management Corp’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,045,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth $69,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $79,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $125,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 1.5 %

ATO opened at $149.87 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 firm has a market cap of $23.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $141.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $139.69.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price for the company. One equities 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.75.

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.