Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 35,029 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 889 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $4,878,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its position 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 worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. PFS Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter worth about $69,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $79,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $125,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho upped their price objective 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 objective for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 1.8 %

ATO stock opened at $152.30 on Friday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $110.97 and a 52 week high of $152.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.72. 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 50-day simple moving average of $142.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $140.31.

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 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

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.