3,299 Shares in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Purchased by Marshall Financial Group LLC

Marshall Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 3,299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $458,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ATO. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 200.0% during the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter worth about $37,000. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 467.0% during the first quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 75.6% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $91,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 248.5% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 805 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 574 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.3 %

Atmos Energy stock opened at $143.26 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.61 billion, a PE ratio of 21.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $105.44 and a 12 month high of $144.32. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $134.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $124.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.57.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $701.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $924.75 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 25.09%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.94 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th were given a dividend of $0.805 per share. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 48.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Barclays lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $143.94.

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.