KBC Group NV Has $26.85 Million Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

KBC Group NV reduced its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 193,577 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 13,175 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned 0.12% of Atmos Energy worth $26,851,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 5.1% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 345,517 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $47,927,000 after purchasing an additional 16,861 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 35,918 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,982,000 after buying an additional 640 shares in the last quarter. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,068,000. Atria Investments Inc boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 31,399 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,355,000 after acquiring an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFS Partners LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on ATO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $143.94.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.4 %

ATO opened at $144.89 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.57. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.46 and a fifty-two week high of $148.39. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $139.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $127.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.09, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.68.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.40%. 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. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.66%.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.