Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC decreased its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,761 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 299 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,359,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 72.5% during 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 fourth quarter worth about $37,000. South Plains Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in Atmos Energy by 23.0% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 598 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $152.23 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $155.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $148.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The firm has a market cap of $24.18 billion, a PE ratio of 21.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.71. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $113.46 and a 1-year high of $167.45.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.92 by $0.11. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.85 earnings per share. Atmos Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the company’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 transaction of $2,264,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 172,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. This represents a 7.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of a number of research reports. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Mizuho cut shares of Atmos Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.35.

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.