AQR Capital Management LLC Decreases Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

AQR Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 30.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 330,389 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 143,559 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.21% of Atmos Energy worth $46,013,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,367,100 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,836,526,000 after buying an additional 282,156 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 211.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,160,144 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,136,463,000 after purchasing an additional 5,543,451 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,806,449 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $528,760,000 after purchasing an additional 107,700 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Atmos Energy by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,107,267 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $432,749,000 after purchasing an additional 223,809 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 16.6% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,639,073 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $228,274,000 after buying an additional 233,790 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $154.28.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of ATO traded up $0.73 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $162.13. 581,057 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 938,100. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $110.97 and a one year high of $162.87. The firm has a market cap of $25.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.11, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $152.80 and a 200-day moving average of $146.50.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 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, sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.