Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Acquires New Shares in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake 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 SEC. The firm acquired 62,282 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $8,674,000.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $79,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 23.0% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 598 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $158.30 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $25.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $110.97 and a 52 week high of $161.49. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $151.49 and a 200-day moving average of $145.73.

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 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, equities analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on ATO. StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $154.39.

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.

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