Toronto Dominion Bank Buys 15,777 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Toronto Dominion Bank grew its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 18.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 100,595 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,777 shares during the quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank owned about 0.06% of Atmos Energy worth $13,954,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Diversified Trust Co grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 52.5% in the second quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 3,003 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 1,034 shares during the period. Swedbank AB increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 565.3% in the 2nd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 40,621 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,738,000 after acquiring an additional 34,515 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 1,106.1% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,570 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $424,000 after acquiring an additional 3,274 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.6% during the second quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 419,721 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,960,000 after acquiring an additional 14,440 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 38.6% in the second quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 354,666 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $41,372,000 after purchasing an additional 98,778 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at $377,003.78. The trade was a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Mizuho raised their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.61.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.3 %

ATO opened at $140.59 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.46, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.70. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $143.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $131.72. Atmos Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $110.46 and a twelve month high of $152.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. 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 2.48%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 50.66%.

Atmos Energy Company 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.