Diversify Advisory Services LLC Sells 10,420 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Diversify Advisory Services LLC cut its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 57.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,735 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 10,420 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,060,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Atria Investments Inc raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.3% in the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 31,399 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,355,000 after acquiring an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 52.2% in the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 25,568 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,983,000 after purchasing an additional 8,774 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,897,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 11.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 58,229 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,077,000 after buying an additional 5,884 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ATO. Mizuho lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price 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. Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:ATO opened at $145.55 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $136.36. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.46 and a 12 month high of $152.65. The company has a market capitalization of $22.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.19, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.71.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.39%. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.66%.

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 0.48% of the company’s stock.

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.