Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Bought by Everpar Advisors LLC

Everpar Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,844 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 235 shares during the period. Everpar Advisors LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $535,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,906,618,000 after acquiring an additional 1,341,640 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,800,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,498,153,000 after purchasing an additional 362,594 shares during the period. Sfmg LLC grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 9,253 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 885,950 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $122,890,000 after buying an additional 34,555 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 36.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 730,759 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $85,240,000 after buying an additional 196,163 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the subject of several research reports. Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $144.77 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $110.46 and a 52 week high of $152.65. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $142.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.71.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.66%.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were bought 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 owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.