Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Sells 96,200 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ decreased its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 49.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 99,041 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 96,200 shares during the quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ owned approximately 0.06% of Atmos Energy worth $13,760,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ATO. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc. boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 9,865 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,374,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Trust Point Inc. boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $320,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 2,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $407,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $150.12 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $145.02 and a 200 day moving average of $141.84. The company has a market capitalization of $23.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.97 and a 1-year high of $154.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho raised their price objective 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective 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. Finally, Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.75.

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.