Assetmark Inc. Buys 18,161 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 32.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 74,793 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,161 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $10,416,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ATO. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in 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 period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter worth $69,000. Finally, Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $79,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $146.33 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.72. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.97 and a 52-week high of $154.55. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $143.87 and a 200 day moving average of $141.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target 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. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. Finally, Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.75.

About Atmos Energy

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.