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 report published on Tuesday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Barclays upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research 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 report on Monday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Atmos Energy from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and upped their price target for the company from $130.00 to $132.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 14th. UBS Group started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, April 12th. They issued a neutral rating and a $124.00 price target for the company. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $128.67.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE ATO opened at $120.91 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.13, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.67. Atmos Energy has a twelve month low of $101.00 and a twelve month high of $125.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $116.38 and a 200 day moving average of $115.69.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $2.85 EPS 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 business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.54 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.48 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 6.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Diana J. Walters sold 400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 3,551 shares in the company, valued at $419,018. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC raised 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 valued at $4,205,000 after acquiring an additional 7,162 shares in the last quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.8% during the second quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 20,482 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,389,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.8% during the second quarter. Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. now owns 41,926 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,891,000 after purchasing an additional 757 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Financial Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 11.1% during the second quarter. Legacy Financial Strategies LLC now owns 23,719 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,731,000 after purchasing an additional 2,362 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.9% during the second quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 25,168 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,935,000 after purchasing an additional 939 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently 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.