Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eleven brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $156.35.

Several brokerages have weighed in on ATO. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Mizuho downgraded Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.98, for a total value of $2,264,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 172,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,063,979.36. This represents a 7.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 348,988 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $48,604,000 after acquiring an additional 38,459 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 6,029 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $840,000 after purchasing an additional 681 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $10,319,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,872 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $400,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the period. Finally, Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $298,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $152.22 on Friday. Atmos Energy has a 1 year low of $113.46 and a 1 year high of $167.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $155.78 and a 200 day moving average of $148.71. The stock has a market cap of $24.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.71.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.82 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. Atmos Energy's revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.85 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.29%. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

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.

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