Alliancebernstein L.P. Lowers Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Alliancebernstein L.P. decreased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 171,016 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,263 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $23,817,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ATO. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 72.5% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $79,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $144.95 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $23.01 billion, a PE ratio of 20.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $148.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $143.94. 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 12-month low of $110.97 and a 12-month high of $157.62.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its earnings results 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 49.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ATO shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.