Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Hits New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $164.00 to $166.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Atmos Energy traded as high as $157.63 and last traded at $157.69, with a volume of 151421 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $156.27.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, March 31st. They issued 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. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $154.39.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 33.3% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,114,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC grew 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 buying an additional 38,459 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.7% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 6,029 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $840,000 after buying an additional 681 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $10,319,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.7 %

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 stock has a market cap of $24.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.42, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. The company's fifty day moving average is $150.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $144.93.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last released 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 net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. On average, research analysts predict that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is currently 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.