Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by First Dallas Securities Inc.

First Dallas Securities Inc. cut its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,821 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 99 shares during the quarter. First Dallas Securities Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $671,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. PFS Partners LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 17.9% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 917 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.8% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 992 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $138,000 after buying an additional 334 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $143.49 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.89, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $141.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $137.82. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $110.46 and a 12-month high of $152.65.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 50.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction 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 $377,003.78. The trade was a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on ATO. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Argus raised 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. Barclays upped their price target 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. Bank of America assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.75.

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.