Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Acquires 1,215 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 51,495 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,215 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $7,172,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position 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 buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $79,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO opened at $148.82 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $144.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.62. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $110.97 and a one year high of $154.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.34%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.75.

About Atmos Energy

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.