Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Lowers Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP cut its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 742,131 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 1,649 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 0.47% of Atmos Energy worth $103,355,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 15.0% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 560,790 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $77,788,000 after acquiring an additional 73,007 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $442,000. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 13,601 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,887,000 after purchasing an additional 841 shares in the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter worth $2,299,000. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.0% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 33,932 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,707,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ATO. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Mizuho lowered shares of Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. 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 MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $154.28.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO traded up $0.33 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $160.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 183,872 shares, compared to its average volume of 933,787. The business's 50-day moving average price is $152.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $146.20. 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 stock has a market cap of $25.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.97 and a 12 month high of $161.80.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders 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 2.17%. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is 49.57%.

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.