Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Bought by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Posted by Defense World Staff on Sep 6th, 2023

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO – Free Report) by 2.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 23,103 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 444 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,595,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 2,500.0% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 260 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 40,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 20,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fortis Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE ATO opened at $112.22 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.66 billion, a PE ratio of 19.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $118.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $115.91. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $97.71 and a 12-month high of $125.28.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $662.73 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $959.54 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 19.02% and a return on equity of 8.38%. Atmos Energy’s revenue was down 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 21st were paid a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 18th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 12,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.44, for a total value of $1,468,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 212,472 shares in the company, valued at $24,952,711.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ATO. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $132.00 to $128.00 in a research report on Monday, August 28th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $126.00 to $122.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 23rd. Barclays began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, August 23rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $122.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $135.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 16th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $125.00.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Profile

(Free Report)

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.