Hilltop National Bank Sells 924 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Hilltop National Bank trimmed its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 59.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 634 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 924 shares during the period. Hilltop National Bank’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $88,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ATO. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,147 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,407,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 85.0% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,382 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $193,000 after acquiring an additional 635 shares in the last quarter. One Wealth Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $214,000. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $137.17 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $142.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.83. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $110.46 and a 12-month high of $152.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.71. 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 Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.54%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 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 position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.75.

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.