Retirement Systems of Alabama Sells 323 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Retirement Systems of Alabama cut its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,609 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 323 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $4,681,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 17.9% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 917 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $127,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 50.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 992 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $138,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO opened at $142.31 on Tuesday. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $110.46 and a one year high of $152.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $141.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $138.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.72.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid 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 2.45%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on ATO shares. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Mizuho increased 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. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target 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. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.75.

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.