Townsquare Capital LLC Lowers Stock Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Townsquare Capital LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,416 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,577 shares during the quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $2,138,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. PFS Partners LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the third quarter valued at about $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 75.6% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 158.3% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 997 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 611 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lummis Asset Management LP raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the second quarter. Lummis Asset Management LP now owns 1,128 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ATO. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Mizuho upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $147.69.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 link. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $151.32 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $142.39 and a 200 day moving average of $129.99. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $110.46 and a 1 year high of $152.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.68.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.