Tredje AP fonden Sells 11,741 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Tredje AP fonden lowered its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 50.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,741 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 11,741 shares during the period. Tredje AP fonden’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,635,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $79,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on ATO shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. 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 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped 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. Mizuho lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, 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 report on Friday, December 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $150.12 on Friday. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.97 and a fifty-two week high of $154.55. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $141.84. 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 $23.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. On average, 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 was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.57%.

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.