Godsey & Gibb Inc. Lowers Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Godsey & Gibb Inc. lowered its position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 20.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,267 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 320 shares during the quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $176,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 45.9% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 9,336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,300,000 after buying an additional 2,938 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 37.8% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 3,370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $469,000 after acquiring an additional 925 shares during the period. Cullen Investment Group LTD. bought a new position in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $205,000. Eastern Bank increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 45,232 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,299,000 after buying an additional 614 shares during the period. Finally, Czech National Bank raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 33,658 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,688,000 after buying an additional 2,036 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction dated 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 purchase, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE ATO opened at $141.23 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $21.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $110.46 and a 12-month high of $152.65. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $135.59.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.46%. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 50.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ATO. Bank of America initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.