TIAA Trust National Association Reduces Stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

TIAA Trust National Association lessened its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 13.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,153 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 644 shares during the quarter. TIAA Trust National Association’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $578,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth $209,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 114,776 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $15,921,000 after buying an additional 12,269 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 58,229 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $8,077,000 after buying an additional 5,884 shares during the period. Blueshift Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 29.0% in the third quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC now owns 3,520 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $488,000 after buying an additional 792 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 7.6% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 99,355 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $13,782,000 after acquiring an additional 7,059 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ATO. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America started coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Argus raised 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $149.15.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $150.98 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $110.97 and a 1 year high of $154.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.96 billion, a PE ratio of 21.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $146.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $143.06.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

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.