1,767 Shares in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) Bought by Sowell Financial Services LLC

Sowell Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,767 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $273,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted 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 in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. South Plains Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, Bank of New Hampshire bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO opened at $153.30 on Friday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $113.46 and a 12-month high of $167.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.35 billion, a PE ratio of 21.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $156.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $148.99.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.35% and a return on equity of 9.05%. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.85 EPS. Atmos Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on ATO shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Mizuho cut shares of Atmos Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley set a $156.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $156.05.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of Atmos Energy 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 directly owns 172,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,063,979.36. The trade was a 7.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Atmos Energy Company 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.