Brokerages Set Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) PT at $154.28

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $154.28.

Several research firms have weighed in on ATO. StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, March 31st. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Mizuho lowered shares of Atmos Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FORA Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter worth $676,000. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the first quarter worth about $230,000. Synovus Financial Corp increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 0.6% during the first quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 14,146 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,187,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 160.9% in the 1st quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 19,624 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,033,000 after purchasing an additional 12,103 shares during the period. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $98,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.9%

Atmos Energy stock opened at $152.24 on Monday. Atmos Energy has a fifty-two week low of $110.97 and a fifty-two week high of $167.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $153.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $147.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.82 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. The firm’s revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.85 EPS. Analysts predict that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

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.