Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Price Target Raised to $166.00

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $164.00 to $166.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the utilities provider's stock.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on ATO. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. 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. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $154.39.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:ATO traded up $1.06 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $157.37. The company had a trading volume of 904,405 shares, compared to its average volume of 910,661. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $150.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $144.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56. 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 has a 1-year low of $110.97 and a 1-year high of $159.20.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts predict that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,367,100 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,836,526,000 after buying an additional 282,156 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 211.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,160,144 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,136,463,000 after purchasing an additional 5,543,451 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,806,449 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $528,760,000 after buying an additional 107,700 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,107,267 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $432,749,000 after buying an additional 223,809 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 3,078,424 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $428,732,000 after acquiring an additional 58,391 shares during the last quarter. 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.