Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 27,774 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,868,000.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position 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 last quarter. PFS Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth about $69,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $79,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $125,000. 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. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $156.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, 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 report on Friday, December 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $148.75.
View Our Latest Stock Report on ATO
Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.8 %
Shares of NYSE:ATO traded down $1.17 during trading on Thursday, reaching $147.43. 602,325 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 892,525. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.97 and a 1-year high of $152.65. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $141.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $139.48. The firm has a market cap of $23.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.72.
Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released 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 net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. Analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.36%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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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