Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $148.61.

Several research firms recently issued reports on ATO. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,003.78. The trade was a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY increased 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 purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.7% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 5,973 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $829,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.9% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $141.38 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $21.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.70. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $143.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $132.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy has a 52-week low of $110.46 and a 52-week high of $152.65.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.46%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is presently 50.66%.

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.