Brokerages Set Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) PT at $130.83

Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $133.17.

Several analysts recently issued reports on ATO shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 14th.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Atmos Energy stock opened at $129.21 on Friday. 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 firm’s fifty day moving average price is $121.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $117.65. The company has a market capitalization of $19.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.67. Atmos Energy has a 12-month low of $101.00 and a 12-month high of $132.24.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly 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. 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $924.75 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.94 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy will post 6.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.805 per share. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 26th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.28%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Norges Bank bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $137,757,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,032,032 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,162,713,000 after purchasing an additional 1,041,608 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 46.2% during the first quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 1,411,697 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $167,808,000 after purchasing an additional 446,292 shares in the last quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 281.3% in the fourth quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 562,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $65,208,000 after purchasing an additional 415,054 shares during the period. Finally, M&G Plc bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 1st quarter valued at 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.