StockNews.com Lowers Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) to Sell

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on ATO. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, April 12th. They issued a neutral rating and a $124.00 target price for the company. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $124.33.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $118.64 on Friday. Atmos Energy has a 1-year low of $101.00 and a 1-year high of $125.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The business’s 50 day moving average is $115.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $114.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.83, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.66.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by ($0.01). Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.62% and a net margin of 23.43%. The company had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.91 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Atmos Energy will post 6.59 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a $0.805 dividend. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.71%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.11%.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $1,746,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 186,339 shares in the company, valued at $21,701,039.94. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 247,048 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,633,000 after buying an additional 61,708 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its position in Atmos Energy by 76.7% during the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 138,150 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $16,012,000 after purchasing an additional 59,979 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 21,198 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,246,000 after purchasing an additional 693 shares in the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 29.6% in the 3rd quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 19,601 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,076,000 after purchasing an additional 4,479 shares during the period. Finally, Cambridge Trust Co. boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.5% during the third quarter. Cambridge Trust Co. now owns 46,329 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,908,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.