Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $143.94.

A number of research firms have commented on ATO. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upped their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATO opened at $144.89 on Monday. Atmos Energy has a twelve month low of $110.46 and a twelve month high of $148.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $22.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.09, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.68. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $139.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $127.84.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.40%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ATO. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 30,179 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,520,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 3.7% in the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 1.4% during the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 5,973 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $829,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 2,328 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $272,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,880 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $219,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.