South Plains Financial Inc. Purchases New Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

South Plains Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 364 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $51,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc. boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 9,865 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,374,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. Trust Point Inc. boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $358,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc increased its position in Atmos Energy by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 2,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greenleaf Trust raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,524 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $352,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $160.23 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $25.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.82, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.97 and a 52-week high of $161.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company’s 50 day moving average is $152.35 and its 200 day moving average is $146.20.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released 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 return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on ATO shares. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Mizuho lowered shares of Atmos Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research note on Monday. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.28.

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.