Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Mizuho Analyst Says

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) had its price objective boosted by equities researchers at Mizuho from $148.00 to $165.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Mizuho’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 8.96% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lifted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $144.00 to $150.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $147.69.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $151.43 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $142.10 and its 200 day moving average is $129.66. Atmos Energy has a one year low of $110.46 and a one year high of $152.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market cap of $23.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.68.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,003.78. The trade was a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BOKF NA grew its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 41.4% in the 1st quarter. BOKF NA now owns 1,162 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $137,000 after buying an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 11.4% in the first quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 21,991 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,614,000 after acquiring an additional 2,255 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in Atmos Energy by 5.3% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 276,397 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,855,000 after acquiring an additional 13,817 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 33.6% during the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 15,737 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,871,000 after purchasing an additional 3,954 shares during the period. Finally, iA Global Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Atmos Energy by 7.5% during the first quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,643 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $671,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

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.