Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Upgraded 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 released on Thursday.

A number of other analysts have also commented on ATO. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a hold rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target 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 boosted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $142.56.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of ATO opened at $139.36 on Thursday. Atmos Energy has a 1-year low of $105.44 and a 1-year high of $140.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $133.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $123.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.89, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68.

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

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th were issued a dividend of $0.805 per share. 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 payout ratio is currently 48.28%.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 30,179 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,520,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 2,328 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,880 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $219,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,204 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, TIAA Trust National Association raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 3,612 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $429,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

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.