Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Receives $143.94 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eight research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $143.94.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ATO. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price target for the company. Barclays upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 30,179 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,520,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $320,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 5,973 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $829,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 2,328 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $272,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,880 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $219,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $147.18 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $140.20 and a 200 day moving average of $128.29. The company has a market cap of $22.85 billion, a PE ratio of 21.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy has a 12-month low of $110.46 and a 12-month high of $148.39.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.66%.

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.