Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Hits New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $173.55 and last traded at $173.30, with a volume of 843940 shares. The stock had previously closed at $170.19.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on ATO shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH restated a “neutral” rating and set a $163.00 price objective (down from $171.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, August 8th. Argus set a $172.00 price objective on Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, September 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $162.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.50.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 1.8%

The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $164.75 and a 200-day moving average of $158.28. The firm has a market cap of $27.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.74.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $838.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $848.97 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.00% and a net margin of 25.05%.During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.08 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Atmos Energy Corporation will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th were issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 47.80%.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ATO. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $233,000. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 11.0% during the first quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 4,614 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $713,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3,044.3% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 37,763 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,837,000 after purchasing an additional 36,562 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the first quarter valued at $284,000. Finally, Bank of New Hampshire purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the first quarter valued at $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

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.