HighTower Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 25.4% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 72,703 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,714 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $10,103,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ATO. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,550,227 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $180,834,000 after acquiring an additional 19,981 shares during the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.6% in the second quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,521,696 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $177,506,000 after purchasing an additional 66,345 shares in the last quarter. Sfmg LLC raised its position 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 during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $122,890,000 after buying an additional 34,555 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 36.7% in 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 currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.8 %

ATO stock opened at $141.96 on Monday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.46 and a 1-year high of $152.65. The stock has a market cap of $22.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.70. 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $143.17 and its 200 day moving average is $131.01.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders 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 represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.45%. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ATO shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Barclays lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. 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 analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.