Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Citigroup Analyst Says

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) had its target price upped by Citigroup from $148.00 to $163.00 in a research report report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Mizuho lowered Atmos Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.15.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 1.1%

ATO opened at $157.61 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $25.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. Atmos Energy has a 52 week low of $110.97 and a 52 week high of $167.45. The business’s 50 day moving average is $154.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $147.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.92 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. The firm’s revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.85 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.98, for a total value of $2,264,700.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 172,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. This represents a 7.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. raised its position in Atmos Energy by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,114,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 348,988 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,604,000 after purchasing an additional 38,459 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 6,029 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $840,000 after purchasing an additional 681 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $10,319,000. Finally, Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 42.9% during the 4th quarter. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC now owns 11,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,532,000 after buying an additional 3,300 shares during the last quarter. 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.