Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Buys 29,745 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 915,695 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 29,745 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 0.59% of Atmos Energy worth $127,529,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atria Investments Inc raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 402 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 33.3% during the 4th 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 purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,897,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 348,988 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,604,000 after buying an additional 38,459 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $148.63 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $144.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $141.27. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $110.97 and a one year high of $154.55. The stock has a market cap of $23.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped 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 report on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Mizuho boosted their target price on 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 Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective on the stock. One 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.