PFG Investments LLC Purchases 653 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

PFG Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 34.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,534 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 653 shares during the quarter. PFG Investments LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $353,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ATO. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $309,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 9,865 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,374,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.7% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 5,973 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $829,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,147 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,407,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE:ATO opened at $142.72 on Friday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.46 and a 12 month high of $152.65. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $142.01 and its 200 day moving average is $137.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.18 billion, a PE ratio of 20.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.71.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on ATO. Barclays increased their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective 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. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.75.

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.