Blue Trust Inc. Raises Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 25.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,481 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 907 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $622,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,906,618,000 after buying an additional 1,341,640 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in 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 valued at $122,890,000 after buying an additional 34,555 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 636,660 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $88,311,000 after buying an additional 13,714 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 15.0% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 560,790 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $77,788,000 after buying an additional 73,007 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO opened at $142.72 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $142.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $137.47. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $110.46 and a 12-month high of $152.65. 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 firm has a market cap of $22.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.77, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.71.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.44%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on ATO shares. Bank of America started coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price for the company. Mizuho increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 purchased at an average price of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,003.78. The trade was a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.