Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Raised to “Hold” at StockNews.com

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Thursday.

ATO has been the subject of several other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $143.94.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO stock traded up $2.56 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $141.44. 1,343,594 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 875,084. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy has a 52 week low of $107.82 and a 52 week high of $144.51. The business has a 50-day moving average of $138.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $126.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.96 billion, a PE ratio of 20.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.68.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.09% and a return on equity of 8.94%. The company had revenue of $701.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $924.75 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.94 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Atmos Energy will post 6.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. M&G Plc acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the first quarter worth about $32,941,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased 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. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 36.7% during 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 in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 45.7% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 444,267 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $51,544,000 after buying an additional 139,429 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $16,316,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% 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.