Independent Advisor Alliance Sells 117 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Independent Advisor Alliance reduced its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 8,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 117 shares during the quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,110,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ATO. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. PFS Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter worth $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Atmos Energy by 75.6% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $91,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 50.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 992 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $138,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 158.3% during the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 997 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 611 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $150.32 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $141.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $129.12. Atmos Energy Co. has a one year low of $110.46 and a one year high of $151.24. The firm has a market cap of $23.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.88, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.68. 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 Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. This is a positive change 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Barclays boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH boosted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $144.31.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.