Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Raises Stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,279 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 328 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,814,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ATO. Portside Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,462 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Syntax Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.6% in the third quarter. Syntax Advisors LLC now owns 2,876 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $305,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1.0% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 10,338 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,095,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 9.2% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,258 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $133,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 57.5% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO opened at $118.08 on Tuesday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $101.00 and a 52-week high of $125.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a market cap of $17.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.66. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $115.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.80.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.09 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 23.43% and a return on equity of 8.62%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.91 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were given a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.73%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.11%.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $1,746,900.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 186,339 shares in the company, valued at $21,701,039.94. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on ATO shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, April 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 target price for the company. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $124.33.

Atmos Energy Company 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.