Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) shares hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $140.10 and last traded at $139.88, with a volume of 56202 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $139.36.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $142.56.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.7 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $133.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $123.42. The firm has a market cap of $21.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.99, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued 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. The company had revenue of $701.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $924.75 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 25.09%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.94 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were given a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 48.28%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 200.0% during the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the second quarter worth $37,000. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 467.0% during the first quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the first quarter worth $89,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 75.6% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $91,000 after buying an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.