Apollon Wealth Management LLC Has $754,000 Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Apollon Wealth Management LLC cut its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 4.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,437 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 251 shares during the quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $754,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 4.4% in the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 3,122 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $371,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 51.0% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 116,401 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $13,832,000 after acquiring an additional 39,289 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 11,076 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,317,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,876,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 7.4% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 97,986 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $11,647,000 after purchasing an additional 6,761 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $144.89 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $22.49 billion, a PE ratio of 21.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.68. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.46 and a 12 month high of $148.39. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $139.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $127.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. Barclays raised their price target on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price 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. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $143.94.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.