Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Price Target Raised to $150.50 at LADENBURG THALM/SH SH

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) had its target price upped by investment analysts at LADENBURG THALM/SH SH from $144.00 to $150.50 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH’s price target points to a potential upside of 8.81% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on ATO. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.69.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:ATO traded down $0.67 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $138.31. The stock had a trading volume of 150,361 shares, compared to its average volume of 889,816. Atmos Energy has a twelve month low of $101.00 and a twelve month high of $139.63. The stock has a market cap of $20.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.72, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.68. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $131.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $122.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.73.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $701.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $924.75 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.09% and a return on equity of 8.94%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.94 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy will post 6.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ATO. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 1,489,174 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $172,595,000 after purchasing an additional 50,209 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.9% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 176,224 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $20,957,000 after purchasing an additional 6,641 shares during the period. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the first quarter valued at about $1,876,000. Swedbank AB raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 565.3% in the second quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 40,621 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,738,000 after purchasing an additional 34,515 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&G Plc purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the first quarter worth about $32,941,000. 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.