Czech National Bank Boosts Stock Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Czech National Bank lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 6.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 33,658 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,036 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $4,688,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Dunhill Financial LLC raised 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 valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew 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 valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake 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 last quarter. Finally, Lummis Asset Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the 2nd 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Four 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $141.23 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $21.95 billion, a PE ratio of 20.56, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.71. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $142.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $135.59. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.46 and a 1-year high of $152.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a $0.87 dividend. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is presently 50.66%.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at $377,003.78. The trade was a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by 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.