Nicolet Advisory Services LLC Raises Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 20.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,769 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $242,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Huntington National Bank grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 362,998 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $50,555,000 after purchasing an additional 17,481 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,806,449 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $528,760,000 after buying an additional 107,700 shares during the period. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $279,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 69.9% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 35,965 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,009,000 after acquiring an additional 14,794 shares during the period. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG now owns 16,298 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,270,000 after acquiring an additional 2,620 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $147.64 on Friday. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $110.97 and a twelve month high of $157.62. The company has a market cap of $23.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. 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’s 50-day moving average price is $148.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $143.79.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. 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 note on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price for the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.15.

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.