Stifel Financial Corp Sells 2,500 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Stifel Financial Corp reduced its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 262,914 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,500 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp owned 0.17% of Atmos Energy worth $36,618,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth $79,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 23.0% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 598 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO traded up $0.34 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $159.07. The company had a trading volume of 123,772 shares, compared to its average volume of 927,082. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $110.97 and a 52 week high of $161.49. The company has a market cap of $25.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.65, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56. The business's 50-day moving average is $151.69 and its 200 day moving average is $145.87.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. Equities research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is 49.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on ATO shares. Mizuho lowered Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $154.28.

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.