Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. Grows Stock Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 9.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,234 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 373 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $587,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 1,532.1% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 218,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,511,000 after purchasing an additional 205,300 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 36.7% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 730,759 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $85,240,000 after buying an additional 196,163 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 45.7% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 444,267 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $51,544,000 after buying an additional 139,429 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,472,036 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,314,641,000 after buying an additional 127,199 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $175,380,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO opened at $144.89 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market cap of $22.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $139.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $127.84. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $110.46 and a 12-month high of $148.39.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Barclays upped 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $143.94.

Atmos Energy 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.