Analysts Set Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) PT at $156.05

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, four have issued a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $156.05.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ATO shares. Mizuho lowered shares of Atmos Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, March 31st. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $152.28 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $155.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $149.72. Atmos Energy has a 1-year low of $113.46 and a 1-year high of $167.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market cap of $24.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.15, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.70.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.92 by $0.11. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.05% and a net margin of 25.35%. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.85 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 172,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,063,979.36. This represents a 7.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sowell Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter worth $273,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.0% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 29,861 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,616,000 after purchasing an additional 1,157 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 681 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $10,319,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 379.7% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 331 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

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.