Perpetual Ltd Sells 297,398 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Perpetual Ltd lowered its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 19.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,241,015 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 297,398 shares during the quarter. Atmos Energy accounts for 2.0% of Perpetual Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Perpetual Ltd’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $172,836,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 10.8% in 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 position in Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,800,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,498,153,000 after purchasing an additional 362,594 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 2,212.0% in the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 291,572 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $40,446,000 after buying an additional 278,961 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,221,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 45.7% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 444,267 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $51,544,000 after purchasing an additional 139,429 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective for the company. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Mizuho upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Four equities research 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 stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.75.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly 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 position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $145.55 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $142.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $136.36. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $110.46 and a 52 week high of $152.65. The company has a market cap of $22.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.39%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.66%.

Atmos Energy Company 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.