Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Purchases Shares of 21,598 Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 21,598 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,008,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% in the fourth 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. lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the fourth 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 during the period. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $79,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Bank of America started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $149.15.

Remove Ads

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO traded up $0.97 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $149.60. The stock had a trading volume of 694,286 shares, compared to its average volume of 822,851. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $146.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $142.70. The company has a market capitalization of $23.75 billion, a PE ratio of 21.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $110.97 and a 1 year high of $154.55.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping 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, sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. Atmos Energy's 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.