Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. trimmed its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 327,636 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,579 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $45,630,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the third 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. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted 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 period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its position in Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $79,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 1.0 %

ATO opened at $152.40 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. The company has a market cap of $24.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.71, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $110.97 and a one year high of $154.55. The business’s fifty day moving average is $147.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $143.19.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. Analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on ATO. StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Bank of America started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.15.

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.