Cypress Capital Group Lowers Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Cypress Capital Group cut its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 33.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,426 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,747 shares during the quarter. Cypress Capital Group’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $477,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Keybank National Association OH grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 9,174 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,278,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 275,345 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $38,347,000 after purchasing an additional 20,664 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 915,695 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $127,529,000 after purchasing an additional 29,745 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 12.7% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 6,029 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $840,000 after purchasing an additional 681 shares during the period. Finally, Reaves W H & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 11.7% during the fourth quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 617,674 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $86,023,000 after purchasing an additional 64,602 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of ATO stock opened at $148.23 on Thursday. 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 $154.55. The company has a market capitalization of $23.53 billion, a PE ratio of 21.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.72. The business’s fifty day moving average is $143.74 and its 200 day moving average is $141.01.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.35%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 49.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Argus raised 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. Mizuho raised their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a 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 given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.