LADENBURG THALM/SH SH Reiterates Neutral Rating for Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO)

Key Points

• LADENBURG THALM/SH SH has reiterated a "neutral" rating for Atmos Energy, setting a price target of $163.00, indicating a potential downside of 0.15% from its previous close.
• The consensus rating for Atmos Energy among analysts is "Hold," with an average target price of $158.27, reflecting mixed evaluations from various firms.
• Atmos Energy reported earnings of $1.16 per share for the last quarter, missing consensus estimates by $0.01, and had a revenue of $838.77 million, falling short of projections.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "neutral" rating reissued by equities researchers at LADENBURG THALM/SH SH in a research report issued on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. They presently have a $163.00 price target on the utilities provider's stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH's target price indicates a potential downside of 0.15% from the company's previous close.

ATO has been the topic of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley set a $156.00 price target on Atmos Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $159.00 price target (up previously from $146.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $156.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $158.27.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Atmos Energy stock opened at $163.25 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.25. Atmos Energy has a 12 month low of $126.08 and a 12 month high of $167.45. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $154.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $152.51. The company has a market cap of $25.93 billion, a PE ratio of 22.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.69.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.17 by ($0.01). Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.05% and a return on equity of 9.12%. The business had revenue of $838.77 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $848.97 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.08 EPS. Research analysts expect that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director directly owned 172,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,063,979.36. The trade was a 7.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in Atmos Energy by 191.2% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 166 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 141.2% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 234 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the second quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, South Plains Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company's stock.

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.

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