Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Rating Increased to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Tuesday morning.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $134.71.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $134.86 on Tuesday. Atmos Energy has a 12-month low of $101.00 and a 12-month high of $136.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.35 billion, a PE ratio of 20.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $126.79 and its 200-day moving average is $119.89.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 25.09%. The firm had revenue of $701.55 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $924.75 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.94 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 6.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a dividend of $0.805 per share. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.28%.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 200.0% in the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the second quarter worth about $37,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 67.9% during the 1st quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 492 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 467.0% in the 1st quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $89,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.