KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Acquires New Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 151,859 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $21,149,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its position in 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 valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $79,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $148.72 on Friday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.97 and a 52-week high of $154.55. The stock has a market cap of $23.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.19, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. 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 business has a 50-day moving average price of $146.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $142.63.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. Equities analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $149.15.

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.