Eagle Bay Advisors LLC Sells 84 Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Eagle Bay Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 7.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,122 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 84 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $156,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $309,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 3.7% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.4% in the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 5,973 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $829,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,147 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,407,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.9% in the second quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 2,328 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $272,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO stock traded up $0.08 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $137.12. 130,880 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 681,545. The firm has a market cap of $21.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.96, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.71. 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’s fifty day simple moving average is $142.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $135.23. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $110.46 and a 1-year high of $152.65.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were given a $0.87 dividend. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.54%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays raised their price target 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective on the stock. Four investment 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 stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.75.

Insider Activity

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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.