Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Stake Lessened by Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lowered its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATOFree Report) by 1.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,482 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 252 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $3,118,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ATO. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.4% in the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 3,122 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $371,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 51.0% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 116,401 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $13,832,000 after acquiring an additional 39,289 shares in the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.9% during the first quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 11,076 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,317,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the first quarter worth $1,876,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 7.4% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 97,986 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $11,647,000 after acquiring an additional 6,761 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on ATO shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $143.94.

View Our Latest Research Report on ATO

Insider Activity

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $144.89 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $22.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.68. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $139.73 and its 200-day moving average is $127.77. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.46 and a 52-week high of $148.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.73.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a $0.87 dividend. This is an increase from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.66%.

About Atmos Energy

(Free Report)

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.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO)

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