18,814 Shares in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Purchased by Aquatic Capital Management LLC

Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 18,814 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,620,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,367,100 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,836,526,000 after acquiring an additional 282,156 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 211.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,160,144 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,136,463,000 after purchasing an additional 5,543,451 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,806,449 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $528,760,000 after purchasing an additional 107,700 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 7.8% during 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 during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $206,538,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO traded up $1.33 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $161.51. The stock had a trading volume of 662,995 shares, compared to its average volume of 938,527. The firm has a market cap of $25.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.01, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.97 and a fifty-two week high of $161.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $152.57 and a 200-day moving average of $146.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. Equities research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Mizuho lowered Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $154.28.

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.