Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Acquires 5,382 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 425,040 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,382 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.27% of Atmos Energy worth $59,195,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth about $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 17.9% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 917 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $127,000 after buying an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 50.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 992 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $138,000 after buying an additional 334 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ATO. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Atmos Energy stock opened at $142.49 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.62 billion, a PE ratio of 20.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $141.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.50. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.46 and a 12 month high of $152.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 49.57%.

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.