Kentucky Retirement Systems Cuts Stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Kentucky Retirement Systems decreased its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,667 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 147 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,486,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ATO. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 11,565 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,611,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 17.5% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 2,598 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $362,000 after buying an additional 387 shares during the period. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $298,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 15.0% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,983 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,530,000 after buying an additional 1,431 shares during the period. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 10,948 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,525,000 after buying an additional 934 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $149.87 on Monday. 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 has a 50-day moving average of $141.95 and a 200 day moving average of $139.86. The firm has a market cap of $23.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.35, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.72. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $110.97 and a 1 year high of $152.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Mizuho raised 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped 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 report on Friday, November 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.