Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Pictet Asset Management Holding SA

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA decreased its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 9.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,220,497 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 131,593 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $169,979,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during 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 in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew 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 buying an additional 103 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $79,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Atmos Energy stock opened at $152.40 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $147.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $143.19. 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 $24.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.71, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.97 and a 52-week high of $154.55.

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, 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.