Jennison Associates LLC Has $31.94 Million Stock Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Jennison Associates LLC lessened its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 229,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,985 shares during the quarter. Jennison Associates LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $31,936,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ATO. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,906,618,000 after buying an additional 1,341,640 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,800,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,498,153,000 after acquiring an additional 362,594 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 4.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 885,950 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $122,890,000 after acquiring an additional 34,555 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Atmos Energy by 2.2% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 636,660 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $88,311,000 after purchasing an additional 13,714 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 15.0% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 560,790 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $77,788,000 after purchasing an additional 73,007 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Atmos Energy stock opened at $142.57 on Wednesday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $110.46 and a 1 year high of $152.65. The company’s 50-day moving average is $141.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market cap of $22.16 billion, a PE ratio of 20.75, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 25.04% and a return on equity of 8.83%. Equities 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ATO. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Argus upgraded 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.