Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Rating Increased to Hold at TD Cowen

TD Cowen upgraded shares of Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) to a hold rating in a report released on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Barclays set a $175.00 price target on Atmos Energy in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $185.00 target price (up previously from $182.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday. Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $168.89.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $176.41 on Wednesday. Atmos Energy has a fifty-two week low of $136.05 and a fifty-two week high of $179.70. The stock has a market cap of $28.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.23, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.37. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $167.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $159.58.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $838.77 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $848.97 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.00% and a net margin of 25.05%.During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th were given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 47.80%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ATO. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 191.2% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 166 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 141.2% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 234 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 379.7% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 331 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

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.