CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co Acquires 5,091 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 191,718 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,091 shares during the quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co owned 0.12% of Atmos Energy worth $26,687,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Atmos Energy Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of Atmos Energy stock traded down $2.23 on Friday, hitting $157.45. The stock had a trading volume of 278,749 shares, compared to its average volume of 923,184. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $151.29 and a 200 day moving average of $145.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.41, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $110.97 and a twelve month high of $161.49. 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 announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ATO. StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $154.39.

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.