Scissortail Wealth Management LLC Purchases 1,779 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Scissortail Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 177,900.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,780 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,779 shares during the period. Scissortail Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $248,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 589.8% in the fourth quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 10,878 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,515,000 after purchasing an additional 9,301 shares during the last quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 29.2% during the 4th quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 15,121 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,106,000 after purchasing an additional 3,418 shares during the period. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $347,000. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 531,748 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $74,057,000 after buying an additional 23,378 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $721,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of ATO stock opened at $157.61 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.45, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $154.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $147.43. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $110.97 and a 1 year high of $167.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced 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 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.85 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued 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 payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Wolfe Research started coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Mizuho downgraded Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $155.15.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 172,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. This trade represents a 7.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing 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 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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