SRS Capital Advisors Inc. Grows Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 20.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 614 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $86,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. PFS Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $69,000. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $79,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $146.33 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $143.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $141.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The company has a market cap of $23.23 billion, a PE ratio of 20.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.72. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.97 and a 12 month high of $154.55.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.38%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.