Brokerages Set Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Target Price at $143.94

Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $143.94.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ATO. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH boosted their target price on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Barclays raised their price target on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.7% during the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 3,049 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $362,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC raised its position 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 worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter worth $4,586,000. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 6.0% during the first quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 27,385 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,552 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Partners Group LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 44.7% during the first quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC now owns 3,245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $386,000 after purchasing an additional 1,003 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $139.62 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy has a 12-month low of $106.69 and a 12-month high of $144.32. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $136.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $125.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.68.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $924.75 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.94 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 6.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a $0.805 dividend. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.28%.

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.