Shell Asset Management Co. Boosts Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Shell Asset Management Co. lifted its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 29.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,121 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,418 shares during the period. Shell Asset Management Co.'s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,106,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted 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 acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. South Plains Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $79,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on ATO. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Citigroup raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Six equities research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $155.15.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $157.61 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $154.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $147.43. The stock has a market cap of $25.03 billion, a PE ratio of 22.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. 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 52-week low of $110.97 and a 52-week 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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.85 earnings per share. Atmos Energy's quarterly revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 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 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 172,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. This represents a 7.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by 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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