Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 78.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 22,287 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,812 shares during the quarter. Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $3,806,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 30.4% during the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 279 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 11,200.0% during the second quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares during the period. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 24.0% during the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 372 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of ATO opened at $167.62 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $27.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.38, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.77. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $136.38 and a 12 month high of $180.65. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $171.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $166.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 14th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.07% and a net margin of 25.49%.The firm had revenue of $737.48 million for the quarter. Analysts predict that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 24th were given a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.87. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 24th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.40%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Sean Donohue sold 450 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.15, for a total value of $77,017.50. Following the sale, the director owned 877 shares in the company, valued at $150,098.55. This trade represents a 33.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ATO. Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. UBS Group increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $159.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Argus set a $172.00 price target on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, September 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $172.00 price objective (down from $182.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $172.22.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE: ATO) is a U.S.-based natural-gas utility that primarily focuses on the regulated distribution of natural gas. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company operates through local distribution systems to deliver natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and electric generation customers. Atmos’s core activities include pipeline operations, gas distribution, system maintenance and reliability programs designed to ensure safe and continuous service to its customers.

The company’s services encompass gas delivery, system integrity and maintenance, storage and transmission connections, and customer-facing programs such as billing, conservation initiatives and energy-efficiency offerings.