Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eight brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $140.69.

ATO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $139.22 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 stock has a market capitalization of $21.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.87, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.68. Atmos Energy has a twelve month low of $103.70 and a twelve month high of $139.63. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $132.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $122.40.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $701.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $924.75 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.09% and a return on equity of 8.94%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.94 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy will post 6.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.28%.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 200.0% in the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter worth $37,000. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 467.0% during the first quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares during the period. Tompkins Financial Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the first quarter valued at $89,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 75.6% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.