Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Upgraded to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Friday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, April 12th. They issued a neutral rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $124.33.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $117.20 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a market cap of $17.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.66. Atmos Energy has a fifty-two week low of $101.00 and a fifty-two week high of $125.28. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $115.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.51.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.62% and a net margin of 23.43%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.91 EPS. Analysts expect that Atmos Energy will post 6.59 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were given a $0.805 dividend. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.75%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 51.11%.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total transaction of $1,746,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 186,339 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,701,039.94. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Cibc World Market Inc. acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter worth $4,131,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 556,036 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $66,443,000 after acquiring an additional 36,977 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 77.8% during the 1st quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 91,071 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $10,882,000 after acquiring an additional 39,843 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 51.0% during the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 13,029 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,557,000 after acquiring an additional 4,401 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudential PLC acquired a new position in Atmos Energy during the 1st quarter worth $494,000. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.