Analysts Set Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) PT at $133.17

Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $133.17.

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Barclays upped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. Finally, 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.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $130.80 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $125.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $119.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The stock has a market cap of $19.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.61, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.68. Atmos Energy has a 1-year low of $101.00 and a 1-year high of $133.46.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 25.09%. The firm had revenue of $701.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $924.75 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.94 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Atmos Energy will post 6.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.805 per share. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 26th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.28%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 200.0% in the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 67.9% during the 1st quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 492 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the period. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 68.0% in the 4th quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 494 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janiczek Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 467.0% in the first quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.