3,311 Shares in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Bought by Apeiron RIA LLC

Apeiron RIA LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 3,311 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $461,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. PFS Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 17.9% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 917 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 992 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $138,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 1.4 %

ATO opened at $139.75 on Friday. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.46 and a fifty-two week high of $152.65. The company has a market cap of $21.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.71. 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 50 day simple moving average of $142.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $136.61.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.49%. This is an increase from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 50.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Mizuho raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Morgan Stanley cut 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective 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, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.75.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.