Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Synovus Financial Corp

Synovus Financial Corp lowered its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 35.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,007 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 7,675 shares during the quarter. Synovus Financial Corp's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,943,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 30,179 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,520,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.7% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 5,973 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $829,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 2,328 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,880 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $219,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ATO. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a "hold" rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday. They set a "buy" rating and a $156.00 target price on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $148.61.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE ATO traded down $0.11 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $140.47. 680,134 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 870,471. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.83 billion, a PE ratio of 20.44, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.46 and a 12 month high of $152.65. The company has a 50 day moving average of $143.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $132.00.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. 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. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.