Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Reaches New 12-Month High at $132.67

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $132.67 and last traded at $132.56, with a volume of 156531 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $130.74.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $133.17.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

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 firm has a market cap of $20.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.67. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $124.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $118.99.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $701.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $924.75 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.09% and a return on equity of 8.94%. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.94 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 9th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th will be given a dividend of $0.805 per share. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 26th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.28%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ATO. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 200.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 68.0% during the fourth quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 494 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 67.9% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Janiczek Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.