Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $148.48 and last traded at $148.23, with a volume of 51166 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $147.22.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on ATO. 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 report on Monday, October 7th. StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $143.94.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 1.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $140.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $128.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.21 billion, a PE ratio of 21.42, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.68.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.87%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ATO. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. PFS Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 75.6% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $91,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 248.5% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 805 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 574 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.