M&T Bank Corp Has $9.87 Million Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

M&T Bank Corp decreased its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 71,162 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,481 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $9,871,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ATO. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Atmos Energy by 10.8% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,906,618,000 after purchasing an additional 1,341,640 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased 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 buying an additional 362,594 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 2,212.0% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 291,572 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $40,446,000 after buying an additional 278,961 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,221,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in Atmos Energy by 1,532.1% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 218,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,511,000 after acquiring an additional 205,300 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ATO. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.75.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $139.69 on Monday. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $143.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $132.85. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $110.46 and a 12-month high of $152.65. The company has a market capitalization of $21.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.70.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.49%. This is an increase from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.66%.

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.