Mather Group LLC. Has $13.71 Million Stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Mather Group LLC. reduced its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 8.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 98,404 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 9,598 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. owned approximately 0.06% of Atmos Energy worth $13,705,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO stock opened at $143.49 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $22.30 billion, a PE ratio of 20.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.46 and a 12 month high of $152.65. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $141.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $137.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 50.66%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost 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 $377,003.78. The trade was a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on ATO. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy 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.