Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Reaches New 1-Year High After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $164.00 to $166.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Atmos Energy traded as high as $157.63 and last traded at $157.69, with a volume of 151421 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $156.27.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Argus raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.39.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $309,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 9,865 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,374,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. Trust Point Inc. boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 2,567 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 2,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Finally, Greenleaf Trust increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,524 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $352,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $149.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $144.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $24.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69.

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

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 49.57%.

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.