Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Bought by Larson Financial Group LLC

Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 112.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,354 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,777 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $465,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ATO. Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,221,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,532.1% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 218,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,511,000 after acquiring an additional 205,300 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 36.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 730,759 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $85,240,000 after acquiring an additional 196,163 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 45.7% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 444,267 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $51,544,000 after purchasing an additional 139,429 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $175,380,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $144.31.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:ATO opened at $150.13 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.85, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.68. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $110.46 and a 1 year high of $151.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $141.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $128.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

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

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.