Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Acquires 1,886 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 91.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,953 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,886 shares during the quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $551,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted 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 acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter valued at about $69,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $79,000. Finally, Slocum Gordon & Co LLP purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $125,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of ATO opened at $146.67 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.97 and a 52-week high of $152.65. The company has a market cap of $23.28 billion, a PE ratio of 20.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a fifty day moving average of $141.20 and a 200 day moving average of $139.09.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 49.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy 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.