Sentry Investment Management LLC Has $77,000 Stock Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Sentry Investment Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 13.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 556 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 90 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $77,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew 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. PFS Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $69,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $79,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $125,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on ATO shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Mizuho raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $149.98 on Friday. 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 $152.65. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $142.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $140.25. The company has a market capitalization of $23.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.72.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, analysts expect 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.