Benjamin Edwards Inc. Boosts Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 294,123 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,551 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. owned approximately 0.19% of Atmos Energy worth $40,964,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. South Plains Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $79,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $161.51 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $152.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $146.35. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.97 and a 1-year high of $161.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. Equities analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 49.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ATO. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.28.

Atmos Energy 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.