Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Stake Raised by CENTRAL TRUST Co

CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 140.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,728 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,010 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $241,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in 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 buying an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its stake 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 valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. PFS Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 17.9% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 917 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $127,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 992 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $138,000 after buying an additional 334 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.75.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were bought 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 $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO opened at $142.57 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.16 billion, a PE ratio of 20.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $110.46 and a one year high of $152.65. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $141.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $138.11.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.04% and a return on equity of 8.83%. As a group, analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 50.66%.

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.