MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH Has $44.41 Million Stock Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 43.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 383,193 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 116,716 shares during the period. Atmos Energy makes up approximately 1.7% of MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $44,412,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Cibc World Market Inc. acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $4,131,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Atmos Energy by 7.1% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 556,036 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $66,443,000 after purchasing an additional 36,977 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 77.8% during the first quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 91,071 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $10,882,000 after purchasing an additional 39,843 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 51.0% during the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 13,029 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,557,000 after buying an additional 4,401 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudential PLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the first quarter worth $494,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on ATO. StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $131.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $124.40.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE:ATO traded up $0.61 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $118.87. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,265,443 shares, compared to its average volume of 990,809. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.87, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $114.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.13. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $101.00 and a 1 year high of $125.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.44.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.62% and a net margin of 23.43%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.91 EPS. Research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were given a $0.805 dividend. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 51.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $1,746,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 186,339 shares in the company, valued at $21,701,039.94. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.