BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp Sells 3,717 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp reduced its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 12.9% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 25,172 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,717 shares during the period. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $3,492,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ATO. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in Atmos Energy by 294.5% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 21,561 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,563,000 after acquiring an additional 16,095 shares during the period. Cetera Advisors LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 31.1% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 6,477 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $770,000 after purchasing an additional 1,538 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 75.6% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $91,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 38.0% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 7,957 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $928,000 after buying an additional 2,193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.8% in the second quarter. Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. now owns 41,926 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,891,000 after buying an additional 757 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $146.10 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $22.70 billion, a PE ratio of 21.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.70. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $142.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $130.48. 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 12 month low of $110.46 and a 12 month high of $152.65.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.38%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 50.66%.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ATO shares. Barclays boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Mizuho lifted their target price 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. 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 research report on Thursday, August 15th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.