Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $153.27 and last traded at $153.17, with a volume of 43876 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $152.13.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Mizuho raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Argus raised Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The company has a market cap of $23.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.72. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $143.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $140.96.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is presently 49.57%.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ATO. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 9,865 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,374,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.7% in 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. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc raised its position in Atmos Energy by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 2,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $407,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.