Candriam S.C.A. Purchases 475 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Candriam S.C.A. increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,364 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 475 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $3,115,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Atria Investments Inc increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.3% during the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 31,399 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,355,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,114,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the third quarter valued at $1,897,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its position in 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 valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 348,988 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,604,000 after acquiring an additional 38,459 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $148.63 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $144.05 and its 200-day moving average is $141.27. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $23.59 billion, a PE ratio of 21.17, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $110.97 and a 52 week high of $154.55.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. Equities research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 2.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ATO. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target on the stock. Argus upgraded 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. Mizuho upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.