Metis Global Partners LLC Grows Stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Metis Global Partners LLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 3.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,904 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 154 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $680,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.7% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,472,036 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,314,641,000 after purchasing an additional 127,199 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,550,227 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $180,834,000 after buying an additional 19,981 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,521,696 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $177,506,000 after buying an additional 66,345 shares in the last quarter. Sfmg LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sfmg LLC now owns 1,059,221 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $123,558,000 after buying an additional 9,253 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 196,163 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. 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 report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $143.94.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $144.89 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $22.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.09, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.68. The business has a 50 day moving average of $139.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $127.84. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $110.46 and a 52 week high of $148.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.40%. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.87%.

Insider Activity

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the purchase, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.