Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Cuts Stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. cut its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 14.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 470,004 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 76,300 shares during the quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned approximately 0.30% of Atmos Energy worth $65,457,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ATO. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 15.0% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 560,790 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $77,788,000 after buying an additional 73,007 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $442,000. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 6.6% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 13,601 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,887,000 after buying an additional 841 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth $2,299,000. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 2.0% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 33,932 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,707,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.4 %

ATO traded up $0.59 on Tuesday, hitting $159.32. 156,848 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 927,215. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $151.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $145.87. 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 12 month low of $110.97 and a 12 month high of $161.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.29 billion, a PE ratio of 22.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current 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 given a $0.87 dividend. 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 2.18%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $154.28.

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.