Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC Grows Stock Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 6.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,412 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 194 shares during the quarter. Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $475,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 9,865 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,374,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 5,973 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $829,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,147 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,407,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on ATO. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their price target 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. Mizuho raised their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO stock opened at $141.59 on Wednesday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.46 and a 52-week high of $152.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.61, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $142.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $137.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a $0.87 dividend. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is owned by 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.