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

Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) by 18.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 64,555 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,093 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $9,949,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $282,487,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $65,333,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 23.6% during 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 acquiring an additional 362,894 shares during the period. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 2,713.2% in the first quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 305,769 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $47,266,000 after acquiring an additional 294,900 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 24.3% in 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 valued at $203,659,000 after purchasing an additional 257,341 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ATO opened at $166.87 on Thursday. Atmos Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $136.05 and a 12-month high of $180.65. 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 company has a market cap of $26.98 billion, a PE ratio of 22.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.75. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $174.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $164.57.

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

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th were issued a $1.00 dividend. This is an increase from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.87. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 24th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.40%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Sean Donohue sold 450 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.15, for a total transaction of $77,017.50. Following the sale, the director owned 877 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $150,098.55. The trade was a 33.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, August 17th. Cowen started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Barclays set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Zacks Research raised shares of Atmos Energy to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $182.00 target price on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $171.67.

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.