Proficio Capital Partners LLC Takes Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 74,092 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $10,319,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $309,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc. boosted its position in 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 during the period. Trust Point Inc. boosted its position in 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 during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 2,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $152.30 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $143.10 and its 200 day moving average is $140.56. 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 stock has a market cap of $24.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.70, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.72. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $110.97 and a twelve month high of $152.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 49.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.