Forsta AP Fonden Sells 13,400 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Forsta AP Fonden cut its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 25.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 39,400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 13,400 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $5,487,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ATO. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,906,618,000 after buying an additional 1,341,640 shares in the last quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $76,360,000. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,800,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,498,153,000 after acquiring an additional 362,594 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 2,212.0% in the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 291,572 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $40,446,000 after purchasing an additional 278,961 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,221,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:ATO opened at $142.52 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $141.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $137.63. Atmos Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $110.46 and a fifty-two week 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. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.15 billion, a PE ratio of 20.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.71.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 50.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on ATO shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target 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. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Barclays raised their price target on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company 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.