Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Purchased by Deutsche Bank AG

Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,078,424 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 58,391 shares during the quarter. Deutsche Bank AG owned about 1.94% of Atmos Energy worth $428,732,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $206,538,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 541.4% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,525,116 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $212,403,000 after acquiring an additional 1,287,325 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Atmos Energy by 146.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,713,421 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $238,628,000 after buying an additional 1,017,575 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $112,002,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ATO. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $154.28.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of ATO stock traded down $1.46 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $152.20. 646,036 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,028,644. The firm has a market cap of $24.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.97 and a fifty-two week high of $167.45. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $153.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $147.13. 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 (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.85 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

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.