Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Upgraded to Hold by StockNews.com

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

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on ATO. Mizuho raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. UBS Group began coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, April 12th. They issued a neutral rating and a $124.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 24th. Barclays raised their price target on Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Atmos Energy from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and raised their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $132.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $128.67.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of ATO stock opened at $120.91 on Tuesday. Atmos Energy has a 1-year low of $101.00 and a 1-year high of $125.28. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $116.38 and its 200 day moving average is $115.69. The company has a market cap of $18.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.13, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.22.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $2.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by $0.23. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.01% and a net margin of 24.65%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.48 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Atmos Energy will post 6.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 28th were given a dividend of $0.805 per share. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 24th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.28%.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Diana J. Walters sold 400 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.00, for a total transaction of $47,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,551 shares in the company, valued at $419,018. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 24.8% in the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 36,046 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,205,000 after acquiring an additional 7,162 shares during the last quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.8% in the second quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 20,482 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,389,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.8% in the second quarter. Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. now owns 41,926 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,891,000 after acquiring an additional 757 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Financial Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 11.1% in the second quarter. Legacy Financial Strategies LLC now owns 23,719 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,731,000 after acquiring an additional 2,362 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.9% in the second quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 25,168 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,935,000 after acquiring an additional 939 shares during the last quarter. 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.