Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Stock Position Raised by Cullen Frost Bankers Inc.

Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 214.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 629 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 429 shares during the period. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $88,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in 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. boosted its position in 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. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $79,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 23.0% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 598 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on ATO. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on 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 given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO opened at $148.63 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $144.05 and a 200-day moving average of $141.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.97 and a 52-week high of $154.55. The company has a market cap of $23.59 billion, a PE ratio of 21.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67.

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

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend 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.