Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 127.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 50,280 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 28,142 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.'s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $6,974,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. PFS Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 75.6% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $91,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 992 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $138,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 158.3% in the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 997 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several analysts have weighed in on ATO shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a "hold" rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $144.31.
Check Out Our Latest Report on Atmos Energy
Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.1 %
ATO traded up $0.14 on Tuesday, hitting $150.32. 603,597 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 878,144. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $141.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $129.12. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $110.46 and a 12 month high of $151.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.36 billion, a PE ratio of 21.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.68.
Atmos Energy Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a $0.87 dividend. This is a positive change 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%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.87%.
Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy
In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.
About Atmos Energy
(
Free Report)
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.
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