Cordatus Wealth Management LLC Takes Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Cordatus Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 13,649 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,901,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ATO. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 11,565 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,611,000 after buying an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 17.5% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 2,598 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $362,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares during the last quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $298,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 15.0% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,983 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,530,000 after acquiring an additional 1,431 shares during the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 10,948 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,525,000 after purchasing an additional 934 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective on the stock. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO stock opened at $147.43 on Friday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $110.97 and a 52 week high of $152.65. 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 has a fifty day simple moving average of $141.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.72.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share 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%. Analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

About Atmos Energy

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.