Boston Trust Walden Corp Raises Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 369,532 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,811 shares during the quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned 0.24% of Atmos Energy worth $51,465,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ATO. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Atmos Energy by 10.8% in 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 purchasing an additional 1,341,640 shares during the period. Nilsine Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth $76,360,000. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,800,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,498,153,000 after acquiring an additional 362,594 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 2,212.0% during the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 291,572 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $40,446,000 after acquiring an additional 278,961 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the third quarter valued at about $32,221,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays upped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.75.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the firm’s 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 purchase, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE:ATO opened at $142.52 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.46 and a 1-year high of $152.65. The company has a 50-day moving average of $141.86 and a 200 day moving average of $137.82. The firm has a market cap of $22.15 billion, a PE ratio of 20.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.66%.

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.