Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Sells 184 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. reduced its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 15.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 998 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 184 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $139,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. DnB Asset Management AS lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 37,364 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,204,000 after purchasing an additional 2,941 shares during the last quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $210,000. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 17.5% during the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 4,880 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $680,000 after buying an additional 728 shares during the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 856.2% during the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 1,396 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $194,000 after acquiring an additional 1,250 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $206,538,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO opened at $154.93 on Wednesday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $110.97 and a 12-month high of $155.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market cap of $24.59 billion, a PE ratio of 22.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $147.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $143.56.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price on the stock. 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. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. One 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.