Bank of New York Mellon Corp Acquires 1,578 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 932,324 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,578 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned 0.60% of Atmos Energy worth $129,845,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $175,000. Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC now owns 10,783 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,502,000 after purchasing an additional 1,302 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Funds Management LTD acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $7,647,000. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.0% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Redmond Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $275,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $152.30 on Friday. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $110.97 and a one year high of $152.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56. The firm has a market cap of $24.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.70, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.72. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $142.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $140.31.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. Research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective 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. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Argus raised shares of 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy 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.