Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Sells 111 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd decreased its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,595 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 111 shares during the period. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,336,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 58,900 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,203,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its position in Atmos Energy by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 20,765 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,892,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the period. Denali Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth $280,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 294.3% in the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 46,022 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,409,000 after purchasing an additional 34,349 shares during the period. Finally, Amalgamated Bank increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 30,960 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,312,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on ATO. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Mizuho raised 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. Morgan Stanley decreased 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. Finally, 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $152.30 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $143.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $140.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.17 billion, a PE ratio of 21.70, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $110.97 and a twelve month high of $152.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 anticipate 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio 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.