Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Hits New 52-Week High at $128.06

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $128.06 and last traded at $128.01, with a volume of 124709 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $127.04.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Atmos Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $130.00 to $132.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, April 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $128.67.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.9 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $19.34 billion, a PE ratio of 19.05, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.67. The company’s 50 day moving average is $117.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.23.

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. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.54 billion. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.01% and a net margin of 24.65%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.48 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 28th were given a $0.805 dividend. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.51%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 24th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Diana J. Walters sold 400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.00, for a total value of $47,200.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,551 shares in the company, valued at approximately $419,018. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 200.0% during the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 57.5% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. 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.