Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Buys 1,922 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,336 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 1,922 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $3,529,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Atmos Energy by 72.5% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $79,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $156.00 price objective on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $149.15.

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Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO traded up $1.46 on Friday, hitting $152.40. 858,334 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 881,676. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56. The company's 50 day moving average price is $146.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $143.06. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $110.97 and a one year high of $154.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.71, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is 49.57%.

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.