Fisher Funds Management LTD Acquires New Stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Fisher Funds Management LTD bought a new stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 54,999 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $7,647,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its position 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 valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its holdings 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 valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $69,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $79,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $125,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Atmos Energy stock opened at $149.87 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $141.95 and a 200-day moving average of $139.77. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.97 and a 52-week high of $152.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.35, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.72.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

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 dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho raised their target price 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 research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.