Meketa Capital LLC Purchases New Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Meketa Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 7,123 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $992,000. Atmos Energy makes up about 2.2% of Meketa Capital LLC's holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ATO. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted 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 acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. South Plains Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $79,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 2.9%

ATO stock opened at $155.18 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $24.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $153.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $147.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $110.97 and a twelve month high of $167.45.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.85 EPS. The company's revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.24%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on ATO shares. StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. Mizuho lowered Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research note on Monday, April 28th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $154.28.

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.

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