WBI Investments LLC Buys New Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

WBI Investments LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 20,304 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,828,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted 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 valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. South Plains Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $79,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

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

Atmos Energy Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $157.61 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $25.03 billion, a PE ratio of 22.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $110.97 and a 12-month high of $167.45. The company has a 50-day moving average of $154.27 and a 200 day moving average of $147.54.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.85 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATO has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Mizuho cut Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $155.15.

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.

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