Gries Financial LLC Has $1.35 Million Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Gries Financial LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 4.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 9,679 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 441 shares during the period. Gries Financial LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $1,348,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. PFS Partners LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 17.9% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 917 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $127,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 50.8% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 992 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $138,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $141.14 on Thursday. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.46 and a 52-week high of $152.65. The business’s fifty day moving average is $142.16 and its 200 day moving average is $137.44. 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 firm has a market cap of $21.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.55, a PEG 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 issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.47%. This is an increase from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.75.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was acquired 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 in the company, valued at $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.48% of the stock is 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.