Dearborn Partners LLC Trims Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Dearborn Partners LLC decreased its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 269,437 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,848 shares during the period. Atmos Energy accounts for about 1.6% of Dearborn Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Dearborn Partners LLC owned about 0.17% of Atmos Energy worth $37,525,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Atria Investments Inc lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 31,399 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,355,000 after buying an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 33.3% in 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 acquiring an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter worth about $1,897,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 348,988 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,604,000 after purchasing an additional 38,459 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.8 %

ATO opened at $149.80 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $144.27 and a 200 day moving average of $141.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.97 and a 12 month high of $154.55. The firm has a market cap of $23.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast 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 was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut 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 research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price for the company. Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.