Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Shares Sold by Hennessy Advisors Inc.

Hennessy Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 172,886 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,900 shares during the quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. owned about 0.11% of Atmos Energy worth $24,078,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in 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 buying an additional 100 shares during the period. PFS Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 17.9% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 917 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. Finally, Lummis Asset Management LP grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $144.77 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.50 billion, a PE ratio of 21.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $142.77 and a 200-day moving average of $135.66. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.46 and a 52-week high of $152.65.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.40%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.75.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the company’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 transaction, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,003.78. The trade was a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

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.