Tyche Wealth Partners LLC Buys 5,930 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Tyche Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 118.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,946 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 5,930 shares during the quarter. Tyche Wealth Partners LLC's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,524,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew 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 buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 17.9% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 917 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $127,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 50.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 992 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $138,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $156.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $148.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,602 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.4 %

Atmos Energy stock traded down $0.63 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $142.49. The stock had a trading volume of 660,083 shares, compared to its average volume of 915,958. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market cap of $22.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.72. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.46 and a 12 month high of $152.65. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $141.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $138.32.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. Research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.44%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio 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.