Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Now Covered by Analysts at Jefferies Financial Group

Equities research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Briefing.com reports. The firm set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price target on the utilities provider’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 11.53% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on ATO. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday, September 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $144.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $139.88.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $138.98 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $20.97 billion, a PE ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.68. The company’s 50 day moving average is $131.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $121.99. Atmos Energy has a 52 week low of $101.00 and a 52 week high of $139.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $701.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $924.75 million. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 25.09%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.94 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Atmos Energy will post 6.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.3% in the second quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 30,179 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,520,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its position in Atmos Energy by 3.9% during the second quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 2,328 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $272,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 5.4% in the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,880 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $219,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.9% in the first quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 3,612 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $429,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.4% during the first quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. now owns 24,285 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,887,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.