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

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) had its price objective upped by research 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 firm presently has a “buy” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH’s target price suggests a potential upside of 8.10% from the company’s current price.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.69.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $139.22 on Wednesday. Atmos Energy has a 1-year low of $103.70 and a 1-year high of $139.63. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $132.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $122.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.68.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 25.09%. The business had revenue of $701.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $924.75 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.94 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Atmos Energy will post 6.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,032,032 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,162,713,000 after buying an additional 1,041,608 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 46.2% in 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. M&G Plc acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the first quarter worth $32,941,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,532.1% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 36.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 730,759 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $85,240,000 after buying an additional 196,163 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

About Atmos Energy

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.