Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co Raises Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 157.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 42,500 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 26,000 shares during the quarter. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $5,919,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 9,865 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,374,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.0% in 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 grew its position in Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the 4th 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. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Atmos Energy stock opened at $147.64 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $143.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.03, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.97 and a 52-week high of $157.62.

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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.36%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 49.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.