Geller Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Geller Advisors LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,585 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Geller Advisors LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $639,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, South Plains Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $51,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE ATO opened at $159.87 on Friday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $25.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.77, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $153.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $146.97. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $110.97 and a 52 week high of $167.45.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.92 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.82 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. The company’s revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.85 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ATO. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Mizuho cut shares of Atmos Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.28.

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.