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

Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $148.75.

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. 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. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley reduced 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 report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 1.8 %

ATO opened at $152.30 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $142.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $140.31. 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 company has a market capitalization of $24.17 billion, a PE ratio of 21.70, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.72. Atmos Energy has a 1-year low of $110.97 and a 1-year high of $152.65.

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 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,029,000. Brooklyn FI LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $310,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 48.3% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 19,558 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,724,000 after acquiring an additional 6,372 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $12,106,000. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $346,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.