Natixis Advisors LLC Has $12.30 Million Stock Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 88,670 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,718 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $12,299,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 1,532.1% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 218,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,511,000 after purchasing an additional 205,300 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 36.7% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 730,759 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $85,240,000 after buying an additional 196,163 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 45.7% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 444,267 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $51,544,000 after acquiring an additional 139,429 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $175,380,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 116.2% in the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 230,492 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,887,000 after acquiring an additional 123,904 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH boosted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $143.94.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the business’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 completion of 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 purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $147.18 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market cap of $22.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.68. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $110.46 and a 52 week high of $148.39. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $140.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $128.29.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. 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 dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 50.66%.

Atmos Energy 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.