3,262 Shares in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Acquired by Maridea Wealth Management LLC

Maridea Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 3,262 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $454,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,114,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised 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 buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 348,988 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,604,000 after buying an additional 38,459 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.7% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 6,029 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $840,000 after buying an additional 681 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 11.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 58,229 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,077,000 after acquiring an additional 5,884 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $152.40 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $24.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $147.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $143.24. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.97 and a 12 month 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.

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

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.15.

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.