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

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

A number of other research firms also recently commented on ATO. UBS Group began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, April 12th. They set a neutral rating and a $124.00 target price for the company. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $124.33.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

ATO stock opened at $118.08 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $17.81 billion, a PE ratio of 18.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $115.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.80. Atmos Energy has a one year low of $101.00 and a one year high of $125.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.44.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.09 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 23.43% and a return on equity of 8.62%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.91 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 6.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $0.805 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.73%. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 51.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of Atmos Energy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $21,701,039.94. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP increased its position in Atmos Energy by 984.6% during the 3rd quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 282 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in Atmos Energy by 107.0% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 294 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. RVW Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth $32,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 57.5% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ronald Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 80.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 296 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

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.