KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 44.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 279,016 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 85,439 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned about 0.18% of Atmos Energy worth $38,859,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Atria Investments Inc increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.3% during the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 31,399 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,355,000 after buying an additional 402 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 33.3% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,114,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,897,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 11.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 58,229 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $8,077,000 after purchasing 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 topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their price target 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. Mizuho increased their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $148.75.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Atmos Energy
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were bought 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.
Atmos Energy Stock Performance
ATO traded down $1.25 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $141.59. The stock had a trading volume of 683,099 shares, compared to its average volume of 908,541. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.61, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.71. The company's 50-day moving average price is $142.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $137.41. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $110.46 and a twelve month high of $152.65.
Atmos Energy Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced 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 is a positive change from Atmos Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is presently 50.66%.
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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