Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Lifted to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Monday morning.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, April 12th. They issued a neutral rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and upped their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $132.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $128.67.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.9 %

NYSE:ATO opened at $126.95 on Monday. Atmos Energy has a 1 year low of $101.00 and a 1 year high of $132.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market cap of $19.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $119.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $116.93.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 24.65% and a return on equity of 9.01%. The business had revenue of $701.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $924.75 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.94 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Atmos Energy will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th will be paid a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 26th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.54%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 48.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Diana J. Walters sold 400 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.00, for a total transaction of $47,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $419,018. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 200.0% during the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 57.5% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth $46,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.