Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Position Lessened by Ausbil Investment Management Ltd

Ausbil Investment Management Ltd cut its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 46.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 39,718 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 33,973 shares during the quarter. Atmos Energy accounts for 3.3% of Ausbil Investment Management Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $5,512,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atria Investments Inc raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 31,399 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,355,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,114,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter worth $1,897,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 11.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 58,229 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $8,077,000 after acquiring an additional 5,884 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE:ATO traded down $0.44 on Tuesday, hitting $142.96. 383,098 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 878,149. The stock has a market cap of $22.22 billion, a PE ratio of 20.77, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.46 and a fifty-two week high of $152.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $141.86 and a 200-day moving average of $137.82.

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 given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. 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. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is 50.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were bought at an average price 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 in the company, valued at $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.