Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 91.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,953 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,886 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $551,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 35,428 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,934,000 after buying an additional 1,175 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,872 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $400,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 152.6% in the fourth quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,166 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $580,000 after purchasing an additional 2,517 shares during the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,648 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $787,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vest Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 397,828 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $55,406,000 after purchasing an additional 10,367 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several brokerages recently weighed in on ATO. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $156.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $148.75.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Atmos Energy
Atmos Energy Stock Performance
NYSE:ATO traded up $0.65 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $148.71. The company's stock had a trading volume of 554,721 shares, compared to its average volume of 890,328. The business's fifty day moving average is $141.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.28. The stock has a market cap of $23.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.18, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.72. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $110.97 and a 1 year high of $152.65. 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 (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Atmos Energy Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 49.57%.
About Atmos Energy
(
Free Report)
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.
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