Proficio Capital Partners LLC Makes New $10.32 Million Investment in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 74,092 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $10,319,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during 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 last quarter. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $79,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 23.0% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 598 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 2.1 %

NYSE ATO opened at $150.12 on Friday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.97 and a 1-year high of $154.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $23.83 billion, a PE ratio of 21.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $145.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.92.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 49.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective 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 shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.