Nicolet Advisory Services LLC Purchases New Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,472 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $205,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Citigroup Inc. increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 10.0% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 354,127 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $49,121,000 after acquiring an additional 32,235 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 64.9% in the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 5,439 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $754,000 after buying an additional 2,140 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 4.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 885,950 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $122,890,000 after buying an additional 34,555 shares during the last quarter. Trustmark National Bank Trust Department increased its position in Atmos Energy by 593.6% in the third quarter. Trustmark National Bank Trust Department now owns 12,090 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,677,000 after buying an additional 10,347 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 205.4% in the third quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 38,148 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,292,000 after buying an additional 25,657 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays raised their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.31.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $150.05 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.68. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.46 and a 52-week high of $151.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $141.02 and a 200 day moving average of $128.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 0.94.

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 paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.66%.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.