Hilltop National Bank Lowers Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Hilltop National Bank trimmed its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 59.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 634 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 924 shares during the period. Hilltop National Bank’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $88,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ATO. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.3% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 178,001 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $20,764,000 after purchasing an additional 7,301 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 18.3% during the second quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,466 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $988,000 after purchasing an additional 1,312 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $922,000. Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.9% during the second quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 2,328 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Choreo LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $336,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $144.89 per share, with a total value 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 1.7 %

NYSE:ATO opened at $137.17 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.46 and a 12 month high of $152.65. The company has a market cap of $21.32 billion, a PE ratio of 19.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $142.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $134.83.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This is an increase from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. 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 2.54%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is presently 50.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.75.

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.