Denali Advisors LLC Makes New $280,000 Investment in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Denali Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 2,010 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $280,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.7% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 9,540 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,323,000 after purchasing an additional 1,074 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 992 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $138,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.4% in the third quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 8,700 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,207,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 20.4% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 18,091 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,493,000 after purchasing an additional 3,071 shares during the last quarter. Finally, abrdn plc increased its position in Atmos Energy by 53.8% in the 3rd quarter. abrdn plc now owns 82,280 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $11,362,000 after purchasing an additional 28,771 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on ATO. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Mizuho raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $156.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO stock traded up $1.52 on Monday, reaching $153.65. 790,580 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 903,064. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.97 and a 12 month high of $154.04. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $143.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $140.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.39 billion, a PE ratio of 21.89, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.72.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

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.