Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Stock Holdings Cut by Angeles Investment Advisors LLC

Angeles Investment Advisors LLC lowered its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,660 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 540 shares during the quarter. Angeles Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $508,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.3% during the second quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 30,179 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,520,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 5,973 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $829,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 2,328 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $272,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 5.4% in the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,880 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $219,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Financial Strategies LLC raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.4% during the third quarter. Legacy Financial Strategies LLC now owns 23,819 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,304,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This represents a 2,400.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:ATO traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $146.87. The stock had a trading volume of 20,913 shares, compared to its average volume of 871,072. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.68. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.46 and a 1-year high of $148.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $138.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $127.33.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 46.87%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on ATO shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $143.94.

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.