Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC Has $43.07 Million Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 13.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 310,529 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 37,171 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned approximately 0.20% of Atmos Energy worth $43,074,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $726,000. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 294.5% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 21,561 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,563,000 after purchasing an additional 16,095 shares during the period. Cetera Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 31.1% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 6,477 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $770,000 after acquiring an additional 1,538 shares during the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $219,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 75.6% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 335 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 acquisition, 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 position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $148.58 on Tuesday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.46 and a 12 month high of $152.65. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $142.62 and its 200 day moving average is $130.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.63, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.68.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on ATO shares. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.