Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $149.15.

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price for the company. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Albert D Mason Inc. boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 9,865 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,374,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Trust Point Inc. boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 2,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $407,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greenleaf Trust increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,524 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $352,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 1.0 %

ATO stock opened at $152.40 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $147.10 and its 200-day moving average is $143.24. Atmos Energy has a twelve month low of $110.97 and a twelve month high of $154.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.19 billion, a PE ratio of 21.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. Sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

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.