Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Bought by Eastern Bank

Eastern Bank grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 45,232 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 614 shares during the quarter. Eastern Bank’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $6,299,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 17.9% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 917 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $127,000 after buying an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lummis Asset Management LP raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the 2nd quarter. Lummis Asset Management LP now owns 1,128 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $132,000 after buying an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on ATO shares. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE:ATO traded up $0.75 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $137.79. 358,534 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 710,669. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $142.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $135.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.94. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $110.46 and a twelve month high of $152.65. The firm has a market cap of $21.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.71.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.53%. This is an increase from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 50.66%.

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.