Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Price Target Raised to $138.00 at Mizuho

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by Mizuho from $133.00 to $138.00 in a report released on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the utilities provider's stock. Mizuho's price target indicates a potential upside of 18.63% from the company's current price.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, April 12th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $124.00 target price on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $125.50.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of ATO traded down $0.85 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $116.33. 1,281,431 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 850,011. Atmos Energy has a 12 month low of $101.00 and a 12 month high of $125.28. The company has a market capitalization of $17.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.66. The company's fifty day moving average price is $116.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $114.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $2.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.62 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.54 billion. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.01% and a net margin of 24.65%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.48 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Atmos Energy will post 6.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $1,746,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 186,339 shares in the company, valued at $21,701,039.94. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $137,757,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,032,032 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,162,713,000 after acquiring an additional 1,041,608 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,347,371 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,049,467,000 after acquiring an additional 538,578 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 46.2% during the 1st quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 1,411,697 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $167,808,000 after acquiring an additional 446,292 shares during the period. Finally, Reaves W H & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 281.3% during the fourth quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 562,622 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $65,208,000 after purchasing an additional 415,054 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.