Pathstone Holdings LLC Buys 1,030 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 22,689 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,030 shares during the quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $3,147,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 92.7% in the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 3,813 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $453,000 after acquiring an additional 1,834 shares during the period. American International Group Inc. raised its position in Atmos Energy by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 39,446 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,689,000 after purchasing an additional 510 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 37.7% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 100,651 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $11,964,000 after buying an additional 27,547 shares during the period. BOKF NA boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 41.4% during the first quarter. BOKF NA now owns 1,162 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $137,000 after buying an additional 340 shares during the period. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 46.8% in the first quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 95,187 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $11,315,000 after buying an additional 30,367 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was acquired 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 in the company, valued at $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $150.05 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $141.02 and a 200 day moving average of $128.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $23.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.68. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $110.46 and a 52 week high of $151.24.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 50.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on ATO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price target for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $144.31.

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.