Bank of Montreal Can Sells 10,306 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Bank of Montreal Can lowered its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 278,029 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 10,306 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $38,307,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 33.6% in the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 15,737 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,871,000 after buying an additional 3,954 shares in the last quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,643 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $671,000 after buying an additional 394 shares during the period. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $726,000. Atria Investments Inc boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 37.1% during the 1st quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 30,912 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,675,000 after buying an additional 8,363 shares during the period. Finally, PGGM Investments raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 51,422 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,113,000 after purchasing an additional 654 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $151.43 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.46 and a 1-year high of $152.65. The company has a market capitalization of $23.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.68. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $142.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $129.66.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 an increase from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $147.69.

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.