2,253 Shares in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) Bought by Sunbelt Securities Inc.

Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,253 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $348,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the fourth 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. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 379.7% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 331 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Finally, South Plains Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth $51,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on ATO shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Mizuho cut shares of Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Six 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $156.05.

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 corporate insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Atmos Energy stock traded down $0.38 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $153.73. The company had a trading volume of 349,759 shares, compared to its average volume of 919,491. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $149.59. The stock has a market cap of $24.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.36, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $113.46 and a 12-month high of $167.45.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

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.