Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Buys Shares of 1,504 Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,504 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $209,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ATO. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. PFS Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter valued at $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 75.6% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 158.3% in the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 997 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 611 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lummis Asset Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. Lummis Asset Management LP now owns 1,128 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $151.32 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $23.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.03, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.68. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $110.46 and a 1 year high of $152.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $130.08.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 50.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ATO. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $147.69.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 accessible through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Atmos Energy

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.