Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 5,000,000 shares, a growth of 5.3% from the November 15th total of 4,750,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 822,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.1 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at $377,003.78. The trade was a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ATO. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,906,618,000 after acquiring an additional 1,341,640 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 1.3% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,550,227 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $180,834,000 after purchasing an additional 19,981 shares in the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 4.6% during the second quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,521,696 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $177,506,000 after buying an additional 66,345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sfmg LLC increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sfmg LLC now owns 1,059,221 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $123,558,000 after buying an additional 9,253 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.7 %

ATO stock opened at $141.38 on Wednesday. Atmos Energy has a 52 week low of $110.46 and a 52 week high of $152.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $143.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $132.19. The company has a market capitalization of $21.97 billion, a PE ratio of 20.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.70.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.46%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective 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. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.61.

Atmos Energy Company 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.