Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB trimmed its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 20.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,545 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 645 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $354,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 10.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,906,618,000 after purchasing an additional 1,341,640 shares during the last quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $76,360,000. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,800,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,498,153,000 after purchasing an additional 362,594 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in Atmos Energy by 2,212.0% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 291,572 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $40,446,000 after purchasing an additional 278,961 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,221,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $145.12 on Wednesday. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.46 and a fifty-two week high of $152.65. The company has a market cap of $23.03 billion, a PE ratio of 20.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $140.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given 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 2.40%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.