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

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $149.15.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Argus raised Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley increased 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. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE ATO opened at $150.98 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.96 billion, a PE ratio of 21.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $146.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $143.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Atmos Energy has a 12 month low of $110.97 and a 12 month high of $154.55.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its 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 return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. On average, analysts expect that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.