Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Short Interest Update

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 5,000,000 shares, a growth of 5.3% from the November 15th total of 4,750,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 822,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.1 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on ATO shares. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Barclays raised their price target on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.61.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was bought 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. The trade was a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,906,618,000 after acquiring an additional 1,341,640 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,800,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,498,153,000 after purchasing an additional 362,594 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 2,212.0% in the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 291,572 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $40,446,000 after purchasing an additional 278,961 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth about $32,221,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,532.1% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 218,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,511,000 after buying an additional 205,300 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $140.58 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $143.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $132.00. The company has a market capitalization of $21.85 billion, a PE ratio of 20.46, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.70. Atmos Energy has a 52 week low of $110.46 and a 52 week high of $152.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This is an increase from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.66%.

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.