Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Bought by Retirement Systems of Alabama

Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 33,932 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 650 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $4,707,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new position in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,299,000. Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 13,601 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,887,000 after purchasing an additional 841 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth about $442,000. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 18.6% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 100,595 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $13,954,000 after purchasing an additional 15,777 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 2.9% in the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,716 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $516,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on ATO shares. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of 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 raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.61.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 1.1 %

Atmos Energy stock opened at $137.97 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $143.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $132.44. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.46 and a 52-week high of $152.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.08, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.52%. This is a positive change 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 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.