Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Boosts Stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 58,900 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $8,203,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ATO. Dunhill Financial LLC grew 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 period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. PFS Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $69,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $79,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $125,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ATO. Bank of America began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO stock opened at $152.30 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $142.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $140.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.17 billion, a PE ratio of 21.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 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 $152.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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, research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 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.