Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Stock Position Decreased by Private Trust Co. NA

Private Trust Co. NA lowered its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 18.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 68 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $42,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,550,227 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $180,834,000 after purchasing an additional 19,981 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.6% during the second quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,521,696 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $177,506,000 after acquiring an additional 66,345 shares during the period. Sfmg LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.9% during the second quarter. Sfmg LLC now owns 1,059,221 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $123,558,000 after acquiring an additional 9,253 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 885,950 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $122,890,000 after acquiring an additional 34,555 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 36.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 730,759 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $85,240,000 after purchasing an additional 196,163 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $151.32 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $142.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $129.99. The company has a market capitalization of $23.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.03, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $110.46 and a twelve 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. 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 2.30%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 50.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 acquisition, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on ATO shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. 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 target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $147.69.

Atmos Energy 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.