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

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO – Get Rating) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on ATO. Credit Suisse Group began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, April 25th. They set an outperform rating and a $133.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $119.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 19th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 26th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Friday, March 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $120.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, May 5th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $121.22.

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $111.70 on Thursday. Atmos Energy has a 52 week low of $85.80 and a 52 week high of $122.96. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $116.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $107.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The company has a market cap of $15.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.48.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.39 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 18.91% and a return on equity of 8.80%. The business’s revenue was up 25.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.30 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 5.53 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 6th. Investors of record on Monday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 20th. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.56%.

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its position in Atmos Energy by 118.9% during the 1st quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 243 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. Curi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its position in Atmos Energy by 2,090.0% during the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 438 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Company Profile (Get Rating)

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.

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