Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eight brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $147.69.

ATO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Mizuho raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at $377,003.78. The trade was 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 hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter worth about $37,000. PFS Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth about $69,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 158.3% during the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 997 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 611 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 17.9% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 917 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $127,000 after buying an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of ATO opened at $140.21 on Friday. Atmos Energy has a 52-week low of $110.46 and a 52-week high of $152.65. The company has a market capitalization of $21.79 billion, a PE ratio of 20.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.70. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $143.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $131.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were given a $0.87 dividend. This is an increase from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 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.