Voya Investment Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Voya Investment Management LLC reduced its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 5.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 54,029 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,343 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $7,525,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 15.0% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 560,790 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $77,788,000 after buying an additional 73,007 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $442,000. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $1,887,000 after buying an additional 841 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth about $2,299,000. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its stake 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 worth $4,707,000 after buying an additional 650 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE ATO opened at $159.73 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $151.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $145.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $25.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.97 and a 52-week high of $164.50.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on ATO. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. 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 report on Wednesday, April 16th. Mizuho downgraded Atmos Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.28.

About Atmos Energy

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.