Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Acquired by ORG Wealth Partners LLC

ORG Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 127.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,481 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,507 shares during the period. ORG Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $624,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,906,618,000 after acquiring an additional 1,341,640 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,800,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,498,153,000 after purchasing an additional 362,594 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1.3% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,550,227 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $180,834,000 after purchasing an additional 19,981 shares in the last quarter. Sfmg LLC boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sfmg LLC now owns 1,059,221 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $123,558,000 after purchasing an additional 9,253 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 4.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 885,950 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $122,890,000 after buying an additional 34,555 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ATO shares. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho raised 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. Barclays raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:ATO traded down $1.99 during trading on Friday, reaching $137.53. The stock had a trading volume of 171,182 shares, compared to its average volume of 671,343. The stock has a market cap of $21.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.02, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.46 and a fifty-two week high of $152.65. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $142.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $134.83.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued 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 was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.53%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 50.66%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 acquisition, the director now owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.