B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Boosts Stock Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG boosted its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 19.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,298 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,620 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,270,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $79,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE ATO opened at $155.38 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56. The business’s fifty day moving average is $147.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $143.64. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $110.97 and a 1 year high of $155.66.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its 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%. On average, 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued 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 dividend yield of 2.24%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target on the stock. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $149.15.

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.