Barclays Cuts Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Price Target to $153.00

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) had its price target reduced by Barclays from $156.00 to $153.00 in a research note published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an equal weight rating on the utilities provider's stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Mizuho downgraded Atmos Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $164.00 in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Finally, Argus upgraded Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $156.95.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Atmos Energy stock traded down $0.11 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $154.26. 436,931 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 914,735. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $154.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $150.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.70. Atmos Energy has a one year low of $119.90 and a one year high of $167.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.05% and a net margin of 25.35%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.85 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is 48.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.98, for a total transaction of $2,264,700.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 172,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,063,979.36. This represents a 7.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ATO. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $233,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $10,319,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 513.9% during the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 32,943 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,588,000 after buying an additional 27,577 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $233,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.