Proficio Capital Partners LLC Purchases Shares of 74,092 Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought 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. The firm bought 74,092 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $10,319,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.2% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 4,904 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $680,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 4,234 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $587,000 after buying an additional 373 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $320,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.8% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 62,503 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $8,670,000 after acquiring an additional 1,092 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.7% in the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 4,704 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $652,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $156.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.2 %

Atmos Energy stock traded up $0.25 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $150.81. The company had a trading volume of 459,788 shares, compared to its average volume of 893,115. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $145.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $142.31. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.97 and a 1-year high of $154.55. The stock has a market cap of $23.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.