Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Hits New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $155.06 and last traded at $154.03, with a volume of 42517 shares. The stock had previously closed at $152.46.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ATO. StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Argus upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price for the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on 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 issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.15.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $147.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $143.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $24.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. On average, analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy Co. will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.57%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Capital International Investors grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 211.8% during 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 acquiring an additional 5,543,451 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $206,538,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Atmos Energy by 10.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,745,352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,906,618,000 after purchasing an additional 1,341,640 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 541.4% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,525,116 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $212,403,000 after buying an additional 1,287,325 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 146.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,713,421 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $238,628,000 after buying an additional 1,017,575 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.