Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC Purchases 250 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,565 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Atmos Energy accounts for 1.1% of Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,611,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 9,865 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,374,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Trust Point Inc. lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $320,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greenleaf Trust lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,524 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $352,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $147.43 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $141.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.53. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.97 and a 1-year high of $152.65. The firm has a market cap of $23.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.72. 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 results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. Analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.36%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATO has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. Mizuho boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.75.

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.