MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH Has $57.27 Million Stock Position in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH lowered its stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) by 9.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 412,195 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 40,863 shares during the period. Atmos Energy makes up 1.8% of MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH owned 0.27% of Atmos Energy worth $57,266,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ATO. Atria Investments Inc increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 31,399 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,355,000 after buying an additional 402 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 33.3% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,114,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in Atmos Energy by 52.2% during the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 25,568 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,983,000 after purchasing an additional 8,774 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth $1,897,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on ATO shares. Mizuho upped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America assumed 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 for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered 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. Finally, Argus raised Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of ATO opened at $139.75 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $142.67 and a 200-day moving average of $136.61. 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 company has a market capitalization of $21.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.71. Atmos Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $110.46 and a 1 year high of $152.65.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.49%. This is an increase from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 50.66%.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost 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 $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.48% 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.