Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Buys 2,023 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 0.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,552,250 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,023 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $215,313,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $32,221,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1,532.1% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 218,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,511,000 after acquiring an additional 205,300 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 36.7% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 730,759 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $85,240,000 after purchasing an additional 196,163 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 45.7% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 444,267 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $51,544,000 after purchasing an additional 139,429 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $175,380,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $377,003.78. The trade was a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.31.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE ATO opened at $150.05 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $23.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.97, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $110.46 and a twelve month high of $151.24. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $140.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $128.57.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.87%.

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.