Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Stock

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) had its price target lifted by Morgan Stanley from $142.00 to $147.00 in a research note released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the utilities provider's stock.

A number of other analysts also recently 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 research report on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $149.15.

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Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO traded up $0.97 on Thursday, reaching $149.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 694,286 shares, compared to its average volume of 822,851. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $146.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $142.83. 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 company has a market cap of $23.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.31, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. Atmos Energy has a 52-week low of $110.97 and a 52-week high of $154.55.

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 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.57%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during 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.