Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Has $1.34 Million Stock Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd reduced its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure 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 quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,336,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 9,865 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,374,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Trust Point Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.7% in the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 2,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $407,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $152.30 on Friday. 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. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $143.10 and its 200-day moving average is $140.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.70, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.72.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

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.