UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Buys 3,236 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 21.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 17,991 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,236 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,506,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ATO. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 9,865 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,374,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $358,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 2,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $407,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greenleaf Trust boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,524 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $352,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $152.40 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.71, a P/E/G 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 stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $147.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $143.24. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $110.97 and a twelve month high of $154.55.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. As a group, 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

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.