D.A. Davidson & CO. Reduces Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

D.A. Davidson & CO. lowered its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,014 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 213 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,389,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter valued at $32,221,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 1,532.1% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 218,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,511,000 after purchasing an additional 205,300 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 36.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 730,759 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $85,240,000 after purchasing an additional 196,163 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 45.7% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 444,267 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $51,544,000 after purchasing an additional 139,429 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth about $175,380,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE ATO opened at $151.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.46 and a 1-year high of $152.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.03, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.68. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $142.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $129.99.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 50.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 shares were acquired at an average price of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $377,003.78. The trade was a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Mizuho raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $147.69.

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.