Northern Trust Corp Acquires 233,790 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 16.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,639,073 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 233,790 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned about 1.03% of Atmos Energy worth $228,274,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 33.3% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,114,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 348,988 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $48,604,000 after acquiring an additional 38,459 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 12.7% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 6,029 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $840,000 after acquiring an additional 681 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $10,319,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Atmos Energy stock traded up $1.07 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $162.47. The company's stock had a trading volume of 427,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 937,752. 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 company has a market cap of $25.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.17, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $152.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $146.50. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.97 and a 1-year high of $162.87.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ATO shares. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Mizuho cut shares of Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $154.28.

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.