Boston Trust Walden Corp Grows Stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 369,532 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,811 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $51,465,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Atria Investments Inc increased its position in Atmos Energy by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 31,399 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,355,000 after buying an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,114,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter valued at about $1,897,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 58,229 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,077,000 after purchasing an additional 5,884 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ATO. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Bank of America started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.75.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.1 %

Atmos Energy stock opened at $142.52 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $141.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $137.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $22.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $110.46 and a 52 week high of $152.65.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

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

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.