Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Stake Increased by New Age Alpha Advisors LLC

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 856.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,396 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,250 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $194,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $206,538,000. Blair William & Co. IL raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 3,135 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $437,000 after buying an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $679,000. NEOS Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 6,066 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $845,000 after acquiring an additional 1,238 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 21.9% in the 4th quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 17,991 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,506,000 after acquiring an additional 3,236 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of ATO opened at $155.38 on Thursday. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $110.97 and a one year high of $155.62. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $147.74 and its 200-day moving average is $143.64. 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 capitalization of $24.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67.

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

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.15.

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.