CIBC Asset Management Inc Purchases 1,233 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 63,736 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,233 shares during the quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $8,862,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 100 shares during the period. PFS Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter valued at about $69,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $79,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $125,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $148.12 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $141.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $139.28. The firm has a market cap of $23.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.10, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.56. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.97 and a 52-week high of $152.65.

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 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.35%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Mizuho raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, 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. One investment 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 data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.75.

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.