Sfmg LLC Acquires 7,501 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Sfmg LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,059,206 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,501 shares during the period. Atmos Energy comprises 11.6% of Sfmg LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Sfmg LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $147,516,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% during 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. lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 9,865 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,374,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $358,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 2,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $407,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of ATO stock opened at $148.72 on Friday. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.97 and a fifty-two week high of $154.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $146.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $142.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.19, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted 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%. Research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ATO. StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Mizuho increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $149.15.

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.