Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold”

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a hold rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $142.56.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE ATO opened at $138.73 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $133.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $123.17. Atmos Energy has a fifty-two week low of $105.44 and a fifty-two week high of $140.04. The company has a market cap of $20.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.73.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.09% and a return on equity of 8.94%. The firm had revenue of $701.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $924.75 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.94 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy will post 6.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th were given a dividend of $0.805 per share. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 48.28%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,888,000. Bayesian Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $3,129,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $567,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 1,489,174 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $172,595,000 after purchasing an additional 50,209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Burford Brothers Inc. purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth $528,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.