Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Receives $148.75 Average PT from Analysts

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the ten analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $148.75.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ATO shares. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of 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.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Atria Investments Inc increased its position in Atmos Energy by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 31,399 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,355,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 33.3% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,114,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,897,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC increased its position in Atmos Energy by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 58,229 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $8,077,000 after acquiring an additional 5,884 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE ATO opened at $145.01 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $141.45 and a 200-day moving average of $138.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market cap of $22.54 billion, a PE ratio of 21.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72. Atmos Energy has a 52-week low of $110.46 and a 52-week high of $152.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its earnings results 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 25.04% and a return on equity of 8.83%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is presently 50.66%.

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.