Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) PT Raised to $145.00

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) had its target price raised by equities research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $132.00 to $145.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 13.24% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on ATO. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Mizuho upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 24th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, April 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 price target for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $130.83.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE ATO traded up $1.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $128.05. 674,463 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 915,837. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market cap of $19.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $120.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $117.13. Atmos Energy has a one year low of $101.00 and a one year high of $132.24.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.01% and a net margin of 24.65%. The business had revenue of $701.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $924.75 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.94 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 6.77 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Diana J. Walters sold 400 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.00, for a total value of $47,200.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 3,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $419,018. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 200.0% in the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the second quarter valued at about $37,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 187.6% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 463 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.