Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Stock Rating Upgraded by LADENBURG THALM/SH SH

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

Several other analysts have also commented on ATO. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. 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 report on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Atmos Energy stock opened at $150.53 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $145.61 and a 200-day moving average of $142.31. The firm has a market cap of $23.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. Atmos Energy has a 1-year low of $110.97 and a 1-year high of $154.55.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ATO. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.7% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 11.9% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,605 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $361,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 5.6% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 88,670 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $12,299,000 after acquiring an additional 4,718 shares in the last quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 6.3% during the third quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 36,605 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,077,000 after acquiring an additional 2,173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LMR Partners LLP bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $224,000. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

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.