Longboard Asset Management LP Buys New Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Longboard Asset Management LP purchased a new position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 1,678 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $234,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ATO. abrdn plc grew its position in Atmos Energy by 51.1% in the fourth quarter. abrdn plc now owns 124,298 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $17,230,000 after acquiring an additional 42,018 shares in the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 369,532 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $51,465,000 after purchasing an additional 12,811 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 140.7% during the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,728 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 1,010 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greenleaf Trust raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,524 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $352,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Edward Geiser bought 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 purchase, the director now 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $143.49 on Tuesday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $110.46 and a 1 year high of $152.65. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $141.86 and its 200 day moving average is $137.82. The stock has a market cap of $22.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.89, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 2.43%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 50.66%.

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.