Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Bought by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 25.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 72,703 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 14,714 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $10,103,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ATO. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 294.5% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 21,561 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,563,000 after buying an additional 16,095 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 31.1% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 6,477 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $770,000 after purchasing an additional 1,538 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 38.0% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 7,957 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $928,000 after purchasing an additional 2,193 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 24.8% during the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 36,046 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,205,000 after purchasing an additional 7,162 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 28,751 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,354,000 after purchasing an additional 2,211 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target 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. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective 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. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $147.69.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $144.89 per share, with a total value 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 acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of ATO traded down $0.91 during trading on Monday, reaching $141.05. 575,782 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 873,567. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $110.46 and a twelve month high of $152.65. The stock has a market cap of $21.92 billion, a PE ratio of 20.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.70. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $143.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $131.20. 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 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 paid a $0.87 dividend. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.47%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.66%.

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.