Inceptionr LLC Acquires Shares of 7,522 Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Inceptionr LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 7,522 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $872,000. Atmos Energy accounts for approximately 0.6% of Inceptionr LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 170,267 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $19,734,000 after buying an additional 2,123 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 19.6% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,484,105 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $172,008,000 after purchasing an additional 242,722 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $205,000. Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $206,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 603,270 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $69,920,000 after purchasing an additional 26,509 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE:ATO traded up $0.97 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $117.30. 1,217,671 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 853,964. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $101.00 and a fifty-two week high of $125.28. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $116.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $114.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.59, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.66.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $2.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.62 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.54 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 24.65% and a return on equity of 9.01%. Atmos Energy's revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.48 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be paid a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 24th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.75%. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is 48.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ATO. Wells Fargo & Company raised Atmos Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $132.00 in a report on Tuesday. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, April 12th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $124.00 target price for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $127.17.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $1,746,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 186,339 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,701,039.94. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Atmos Energy

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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