Freedom Investment Management Inc. Has $735,000 Stock Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Freedom Investment Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 7.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 432 shares during the period. Freedom Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $735,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Partners Group Holding AG raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 7.6% during the third quarter. Partners Group Holding AG now owns 329,015 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $45,638,000 after acquiring an additional 23,306 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 58,229 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,077,000 after purchasing an additional 5,884 shares during the last quarter. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $225,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.0% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 114,776 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $15,921,000 after purchasing an additional 12,269 shares during the period. Finally, DRW Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,000,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

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 on Monday, November 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the purchase, the director now 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $151.43 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.53 billion, a PE ratio of 22.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.68. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $110.46 and a 52 week high of $152.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $142.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $129.66. 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 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 given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. This is an increase from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective 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. 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 note on Wednesday, October 16th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $147.69.

About Atmos Energy

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.