Cerity Partners LLC Buys 10,093 Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation $ATO

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 18.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 64,555 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,093 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $9,949,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,073,886 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $625,180,000 after acquiring an additional 63,166 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,082,338 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $475,019,000 after purchasing an additional 91,254 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Atmos Energy by 23.6% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,899,283 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $292,699,000 after purchasing an additional 362,894 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $282,487,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 24.3% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,317,500 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $203,659,000 after buying an additional 257,341 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Sean Donohue sold 450 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.15, for a total transaction of $77,017.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 877 shares in the company, valued at $150,098.55. This trade represents a 33.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.4%

ATO stock opened at $166.87 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $26.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $174.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $164.57. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $136.05 and a 1-year high of $180.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 14th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $737.48 million for the quarter. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.07% and a net margin of 25.49%. Analysts expect that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th were paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 24th. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.87. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.40%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $185.00 target price (up from $182.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Barclays set a $175.00 target price on Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Zacks Research upgraded Atmos Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $171.67.

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.