Brokerages Set Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Target Price at $154.39

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $154.39.

Several analysts recently issued reports on ATO shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, 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 note on Wednesday.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ATO. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.4% in the third quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 4,152 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $576,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 40.2% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 10,852 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,505,000 after purchasing an additional 3,113 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 15.0% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 560,790 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $77,788,000 after acquiring an additional 73,007 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $442,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 6.6% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 13,601 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,887,000 after buying an additional 841 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company's stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO traded up $1.06 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $157.37. 904,405 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 911,452. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $150.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $144.93. Atmos Energy has a 1-year low of $110.97 and a 1-year high of $159.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $24.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.57%.

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.