Lazard Asset Management LLC Purchases 25,835 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 28.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 118,135 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,835 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $16,452,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. South Plains Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $79,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the topic of several research reports. Mizuho downgraded Atmos Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research report on Monday, April 28th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.28.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $153.68 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $153.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $147.13. The company has a market cap of $24.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $110.97 and a 52 week high of $167.45.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. The company’s revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.85 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

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.