Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC Acquires 9,532 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 41.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,772 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 9,532 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $4,546,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. PFS Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $69,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 158.3% during the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 997 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 611 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 17.9% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 917 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lummis Asset Management LP grew its position in Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the 2nd quarter. Lummis Asset Management LP now owns 1,128 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $132,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATO has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Mizuho raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $147.69.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following 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 purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Atmos Energy stock traded down $1.08 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $141.96. 673,062 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 874,485. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.66, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.70. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $110.46 and a 12-month high of $152.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $143.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $130.91.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is currently 50.66%.

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.