Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Receives $154.28 Consensus PT from Brokerages

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $155.15.

Several research analysts have commented on ATO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of ATO opened at $157.61 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $25.03 billion, a PE ratio of 22.45, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.74. Atmos Energy has a 12 month low of $110.97 and a 12 month high of $167.45. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $154.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $147.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.92 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.85 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 48.33%.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.98, for a total value of $2,264,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 172,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. This represents a 7.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 43.9% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 13,410 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,073,000 after acquiring an additional 4,088 shares in the last quarter. Yaupon Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 25.0% during the first quarter. Yaupon Capital Management LP now owns 163,218 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,230,000 after acquiring an additional 32,623 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 8.5% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 3,117 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $482,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Dean Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.5% during the first quarter. Dean Capital Management now owns 12,720 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,966,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MBB Public Markets I LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the first quarter worth $326,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.