Brendel Financial Advisors LLC Invests $3.37 Million in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO)

Brendel Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 21,766 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,365,000. Atmos Energy comprises 2.0% of Brendel Financial Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. South Plains Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, Bank of New Hampshire acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $58,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.98, for a total transaction of $2,264,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 172,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. This represents a 7.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE ATO traded up $0.91 during trading on Friday, reaching $153.30. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,529,995 shares, compared to its average volume of 924,948. 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 has a market capitalization of $24.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.71. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $113.46 and a 12 month high of $167.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $156.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $149.03.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley set a $156.00 price target on shares of Atmos Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $156.05.

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.