The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Buys 12,269 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 12.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 114,776 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 12,269 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.07% of Atmos Energy worth $15,921,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1.3% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,550,227 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $180,834,000 after buying an additional 19,981 shares during the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.6% in the second quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,521,696 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $177,506,000 after acquiring an additional 66,345 shares during the period. Sfmg LLC boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.9% in the second quarter. Sfmg LLC now owns 1,059,221 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $123,558,000 after acquiring an additional 9,253 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 885,950 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $122,890,000 after acquiring an additional 34,555 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 36.7% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 730,759 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $85,240,000 after acquiring an additional 196,163 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of Atmos Energy stock traded down $2.47 during trading on Monday, hitting $148.85. The company's stock had a trading volume of 256,085 shares, compared to its average volume of 873,407. The company has a market capitalization of $23.13 billion, a PE ratio of 21.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.68. 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 52 week low of $110.46 and a 52 week high of $152.65. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $130.08.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. This is an increase from Atmos Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.66%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were acquired 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 directly owns 2,602 shares of the company's stock, 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 is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective 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 increased their price target 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. increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $155.00 price objective for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $147.69.

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.