Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO Shares Purchased by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 357,969 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,018 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. owned about 0.22% of Atmos Energy worth $61,128,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the second quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $46,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 30.4% in the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 279 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 11,200.0% in the 2nd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 24.0% in the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 372 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.8%

Atmos Energy stock opened at $166.18 on Thursday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $136.57 and a fifty-two week high of $180.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.77. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $171.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $166.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 14th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $737.48 million for the quarter. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.49% and a return on equity of 9.07%. Analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 24th were given a $1.00 dividend. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.87. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 24th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on ATO shares. TD Cowen raised shares of Atmos Energy to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Cowen started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Barclays set a $175.00 price target on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Atmos Energy to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $172.22.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Sean Donohue sold 450 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.15, for a total transaction of $77,017.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 877 shares in the company, valued at $150,098.55. The trade was a 33.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE: ATO) is a U.S.-based natural-gas utility that primarily focuses on the regulated distribution of natural gas. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company operates through local distribution systems to deliver natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and electric generation customers. Atmos’s core activities include pipeline operations, gas distribution, system maintenance and reliability programs designed to ensure safe and continuous service to its customers.

The company’s services encompass gas delivery, system integrity and maintenance, storage and transmission connections, and customer-facing programs such as billing, conservation initiatives and energy-efficiency offerings.