Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Acquired by Golden State Equity Partners

Golden State Equity Partners lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 28,909.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,191 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,180 shares during the quarter. Golden State Equity Partners’ holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $444,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Atria Investments Inc grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 31,399 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,355,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 33.3% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,114,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,897,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 58,229 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $8,077,000 after acquiring an additional 5,884 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,003.78. The trade was a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE ATO opened at $143.49 on Tuesday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $110.46 and a 52 week high of $152.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $141.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $137.82. The firm has a market cap of $22.30 billion, a PE ratio of 20.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 50.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on ATO shares. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Mizuho raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.75.

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.