LRI Investments LLC Acquires 146 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

LRI Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATOFree Report) by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,871 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $270,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,906,618,000 after acquiring an additional 1,341,640 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,800,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,498,153,000 after acquiring an additional 362,594 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,550,227 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $180,834,000 after acquiring an additional 19,981 shares in the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.6% in the second quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,521,696 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $177,506,000 after buying an additional 66,345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sfmg LLC grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.9% in the second quarter. Sfmg LLC now owns 1,059,221 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $123,558,000 after buying an additional 9,253 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of the company’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 acquisition, the director now owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.6 %

ATO opened at $141.05 on Tuesday. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.46 and a fifty-two week high of $152.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company has a market capitalization of $21.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.70. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $143.21 and a 200-day moving average of $131.20.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.47%. This is an increase from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on ATO shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $147.69.

View Our Latest Research Report on ATO

Atmos Energy Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO)

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