Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Stock Rating Lowered by Mizuho

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Mizuho from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report issued on Monday,Finviz reports. They presently have a $164.00 price target on the utilities provider's stock. Mizuho's target price indicates a potential upside of 3.60% from the stock's previous close.

ATO has been the subject of a number of other reports. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, March 31st. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $154.28.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of ATO stock opened at $158.30 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $151.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $145.73. Atmos Energy has a 1-year low of $110.97 and a 1-year high of $161.49. The company has a market cap of $25.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.55, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.43.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Get Free Report) last posted 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, equities research analysts expect that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $309,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 9,865 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,374,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV now owns 1,968 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $304,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 2,921 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $407,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Atmos Energy

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.