Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Purchased by Sandy Spring Bank

Sandy Spring Bank boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 39.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,512 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,111 shares during the period. Sandy Spring Bank’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,046,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 11.9% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,605 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $361,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 22,689 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,147,000 after buying an additional 1,030 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,897,000. Finally, Commerce Bank lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.5% during the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 11,437 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,586,000 after buying an additional 1,268 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO opened at $148.72 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. The company’s fifty day moving average is $146.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $142.55. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $110.97 and a 1 year 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, sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ATO shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Mizuho boosted their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Argus upgraded 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 report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.15.

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.