Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Lowered to Sell Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Thursday morning.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $143.07 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $141.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $138.15. Atmos Energy has a twelve month low of $110.46 and a twelve month high of $152.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.83, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.83% and a net margin of 25.04%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 31,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,386,000 after acquiring an additional 2,871 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 17.9% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 917 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,160,000 after buying an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,204 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $167,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 20.9% during the third quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 9,518 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,320,000 after acquiring an additional 1,645 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by 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.