Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) Shares Bought by Diversify Wealth Management LLC

Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 20.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 35,821 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 6,008 shares during the quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $5,720,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 191.2% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 166 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 72.5% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. South Plains Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 379.7% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 331 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Mizuho lowered Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Barclays lowered their target price on Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Citigroup upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Argus upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $156.95.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of ATO traded up $1.34 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $155.53. 733,051 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 914,009. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm's fifty day moving average is $154.83 and its 200-day moving average is $150.44. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $119.90 and a 1 year high of $167.45.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.05% and a net margin of 25.35%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.85 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.33%.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.98, for a total transaction of $2,264,700.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 172,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. This trade represents a 7.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Atmos Energy

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.