Raymond James Trust N.A. Has $754,000 Holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 64.9% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,439 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,140 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $754,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ATO. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. PFS Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the third quarter valued at $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 75.6% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $91,000 after buying an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 158.3% during the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 997 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 611 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lummis Asset Management LP grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was bought 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE ATO opened at $150.13 on Tuesday. 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 $151.24. The company has a market capitalization of $23.33 billion, a PE ratio of 21.85, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $141.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $128.90.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. This is an increase from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in 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 note on Friday. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised 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. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.31.

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.