Nilsine Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 548,289 Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Nilsine Partners LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 548,289 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $76,360,000. Atmos Energy accounts for 8.2% of Nilsine Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest position.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 44.1% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 279,016 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $38,859,000 after buying an additional 85,439 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 25.4% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,481 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $622,000 after acquiring an additional 907 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 34.7% during the 4th quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 2,534 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $353,000 after purchasing an additional 653 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Advisors MI grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI now owns 3,918 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $546,000 after purchasing an additional 593 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,665 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $650,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on ATO shares. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays upped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $142.84 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $22.20 billion, a PE ratio of 20.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.71. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $110.46 and a 12-month high of $152.65. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $142.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $137.10.

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 issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This is an increase from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 50.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,003.78. The trade was a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

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.