ORG Wealth Partners LLC Grows Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

ORG Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 127.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 4,481 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,507 shares during the period. ORG Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $624,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. PFS Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter valued at about $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 17.9% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 917 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $127,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the period. Finally, Lummis Asset Management LP grew its position in Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the second quarter. Lummis Asset Management LP now owns 1,128 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $132,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Bank of America began coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO traded down $1.99 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $137.53. 171,182 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 671,343. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.94. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $142.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.70. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.46 and a 12 month high of $152.65.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.53%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 50.66%.

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.