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

Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $148.75.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ATO shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH boosted their target price on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Barclays boosted their target price on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at $377,003.78. The trade was a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ATO. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,906,618,000 after acquiring an additional 1,341,640 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,800,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,498,153,000 after purchasing an additional 362,594 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 2,212.0% in the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 291,572 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $40,446,000 after purchasing an additional 278,961 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,221,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 1,532.1% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 218,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,511,000 after purchasing an additional 205,300 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $136.21 on Tuesday. Atmos Energy has a fifty-two week low of $110.46 and a fifty-two week high of $152.65. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $142.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $134.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market cap of $21.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.71.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This is an increase from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 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.