Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Upgraded at Argus

Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Friday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have $150.00 target price on the utilities provider’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on ATO. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Mizuho raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $139.69 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $143.40 and its 200-day moving average is $132.85. 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 $21.71 billion, a PE ratio of 20.33, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.70. Atmos Energy has a 1-year low of $110.46 and a 1-year high of $152.65.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 50.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 purchase, the director now owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. PFS Partners LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 17.9% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 917 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $127,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the period. Finally, Lummis Asset Management LP raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. Lummis Asset Management LP now owns 1,128 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $132,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. 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.