Imprint Wealth LLC Purchases New Shares in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 179,396 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $17,940,000. Atmos Energy makes up approximately 0.7% of Imprint Wealth LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Glassman Wealth Services boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 73.3% in the second quarter. Glassman Wealth Services now owns 234 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 177.8% in the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 275 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 72.2% in the second quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 489 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. 90.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Atmos Energy from $137.00 to $131.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 11th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Atmos Energy from $124.00 to $115.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 25th. Barclays dropped their price target on Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $116.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Atmos Energy from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $132.00 to $128.00 in a research note on Monday, August 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $122.86.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:ATO traded down $1.58 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $112.32. The stock had a trading volume of 451,604 shares, compared to its average volume of 850,454. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $114.92. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $101.00 and a 52 week high of $125.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 9th. The utilities provider reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $587.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $959.12 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.54% and a net margin of 20.72%. The firm’s revenue was down 18.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.51 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.805 per share. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 24th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.87%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.29%.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 12,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.99, for a total transaction of $1,387,375.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 199,972 shares in the company, valued at $22,194,892.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Richard M. Thomas sold 1,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.20, for a total value of $199,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,650 shares in the company, valued at $302,630. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 12,500 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.99, for a total value of $1,387,375.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 199,972 shares in the company, valued at $22,194,892.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.