Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Purchased by Bahl & Gaynor Inc.

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 8.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 275,345 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 20,664 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. owned approximately 0.18% of Atmos Energy worth $38,347,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. PFS Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter valued at $69,000. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $79,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO opened at $153.65 on Tuesday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $110.97 and a 1 year high of $154.04. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $143.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $140.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.39 billion, a PE ratio of 21.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.72. 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 announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 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.