Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Purchased by HBK Sorce Advisory LLC

HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO – Get Rating) by 100.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,000 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $38,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 488.1% during the fourth quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 347 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 288 shares during the period. Phocas Financial Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Finally, MADDEN SECURITIES Corp acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. 91.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Diana J. Walters sold 390 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.50, for a total transaction of $45,825.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 2,584 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $303,620. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Diana J. Walters sold 390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.50, for a total value of $45,825.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,584 shares in the company, valued at approximately $303,620. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 12,500 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.54, for a total value of $1,431,750.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 217,668 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,931,692.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Mizuho upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 9th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $117.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $107.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.71.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO opened at $116.56 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $114.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $114.26. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $97.71 and a fifty-two week high of $121.92. The firm has a market cap of $16.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.62.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.73 billion. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.57% and a net margin of 18.18%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.37 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 5th. Investors of record on Monday, May 22nd will be given a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 19th. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.54%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.86%.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

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Atmos Energy Corp. engages in the provision of natural gas services. It operates under the Distribution, and Pipeline and Storage business segments. The Distribution segment is involved in regulated natural gas distribution and related sales operations. The Pipeline and Storage segment includes pipeline and storage operations of Atmos Pipeline-Texas division and natural gas transmission operations.