Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Given New $165.00 Price Target at Mizuho

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) had its target price raised by equities research analysts at Mizuho from $148.00 to $165.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Mizuho’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 8.28% from the company’s current price.

ATO has been the topic of several other reports. Barclays boosted their target price on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $147.69.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO traded up $2.05 on Wednesday, hitting $152.38. 127,973 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 874,819. Atmos Energy has a 52 week low of $110.46 and a 52 week high of $152.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.68 billion, a PE ratio of 22.18, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.68. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $141.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $129.35.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ATO. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,906,618,000 after buying an additional 1,341,640 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,800,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,498,153,000 after purchasing an additional 362,594 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Atmos Energy by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,550,227 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $180,834,000 after purchasing an additional 19,981 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,521,696 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $177,506,000 after buying an additional 66,345 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sfmg LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sfmg LLC now owns 1,059,221 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $123,558,000 after buying an additional 9,253 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.