Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Hits New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) shares reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $155.06 and last traded at $154.03, with a volume of 42517 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $152.46.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on ATO shares. Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price on the stock. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $149.15.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.2 %

The stock has a market cap of $24.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $147.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $143.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.57%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 480,223 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $66,881,000 after acquiring an additional 45,022 shares during the last quarter. AG Asset Advisory LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $238,000. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 589.8% in the fourth quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 10,878 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,515,000 after purchasing an additional 9,301 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,029,000. Finally, Brooklyn FI LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $310,000. 90.17% of the stock is 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.