Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Ausbil Investment Management Ltd

Ausbil Investment Management Ltd trimmed its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 46.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,718 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 33,973 shares during the quarter. Atmos Energy comprises 3.3% of Ausbil Investment Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $5,512,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Atmos Energy by 10.8% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,906,618,000 after buying an additional 1,341,640 shares during the period. Nilsine Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $76,360,000. State Street Corp lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,800,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,498,153,000 after purchasing an additional 362,594 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 2,212.0% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 291,572 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $40,446,000 after purchasing an additional 278,961 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,221,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $142.52 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $141.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.63. The company has a market capitalization of $22.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.75, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.71. 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 Co. has a twelve month low of $110.46 and a twelve month high of $152.65.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. 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%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 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, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.