Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Position Cut by Freedom Investment Management Inc.

Freedom Investment Management Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 6.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,951 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 348 shares during the period. Freedom Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $689,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Capital Group Private Client Services Inc. bought a new position in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $22,566,000. Capital International Investors boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 211.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,160,144 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,136,463,000 after purchasing an additional 5,543,451 shares during the period. Capital International Sarl purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,216,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 191,718 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,687,000 after purchasing an additional 5,091 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in Atmos Energy by 58.2% during the fourth quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 50,471 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,029,000 after buying an additional 18,566 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $157.37 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $150.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $144.97. The stock has a market cap of $24.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.42, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $110.97 and a one year high of $159.20.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results 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%. Analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ATO shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.39.

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.