Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Receives $149.15 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $149.15.

Several analysts recently commented on ATO shares. 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. Bank of America began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% in 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 in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.8 %

Atmos Energy stock opened at $148.43 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $146.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $142.95. The stock has a market cap of $23.56 billion, a PE ratio of 21.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. Atmos Energy has a 1-year low of $110.97 and a 1-year high of $154.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.57%.

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.