Bank of America Initiates Coverage on Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO)

Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) in a report released on Friday. The firm set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target on the utilities provider’s stock. Bank of America‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 10.97% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective for the company. Barclays lifted their price target on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.61.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $140.58 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Atmos Energy has a 1 year low of $110.46 and a 1 year high of $152.65. The firm has a market cap of $21.85 billion, a PE ratio of 20.46, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $143.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $131.85.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position 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 worth $32,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy in the second quarter valued at $37,000. PFS Partners LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $69,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 158.3% in the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 997 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 611 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 17.9% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 917 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. 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.