Centiva Capital LP Buys New Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Centiva Capital LP bought a new stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 2,609 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $363,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 72.5% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 50.0% in 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. Finally, South Plains Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO stock opened at $159.87 on Monday. 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 Co. has a one year low of $110.97 and a one year high of $167.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.39 billion, a PE ratio of 22.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $153.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $147.03.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. The firm’s revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.85 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of 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. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Five equities research 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.28.

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.