Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at LADENBURG THALM/SH SH

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) was upgraded by investment analysts at LADENBURG THALM/SH SH to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $150.53 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $142.31. Atmos Energy has a one year low of $110.97 and a one year high of $154.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.44, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. On average, analysts predict that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 211.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,160,144 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,136,463,000 after acquiring an additional 5,543,451 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $206,538,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,906,618,000 after purchasing an additional 1,341,640 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 541.4% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,525,116 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $212,403,000 after purchasing an additional 1,287,325 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 146.2% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,713,421 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $238,628,000 after purchasing an additional 1,017,575 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently 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.