Dakota Wealth Management Invests $569,000 in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO)

Dakota Wealth Management acquired a new position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 3,682 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $569,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $233,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $233,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 25,336 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,529,000 after acquiring an additional 1,922 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 91,846 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $12,791,000 after purchasing an additional 3,176 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.98, for a total value of $2,264,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 172,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. The trade was a 7.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:ATO traded up $1.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $156.58. 714,733 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 911,501. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $154.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $150.72. The stock has a market cap of $24.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.70. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $121.81 and a 12-month high of $167.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion for 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%. Atmos Energy's quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.85 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on ATO. Barclays decreased their target price on Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $156.95.

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.