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

Shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $124.33.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 27th. Barclays upped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, April 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 target price for the company.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.1 %

ATO opened at $119.45 on Thursday. Atmos Energy has a one year low of $101.00 and a one year high of $125.28. The company has a market cap of $18.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.96, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s fifty day moving average is $116.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $114.32. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 in the previous year, the company posted $1.91 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 6.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $1,746,900.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 186,339 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,701,039.94. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vest Financial LLC increased its position in Atmos Energy by 33.3% during the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 247,048 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,633,000 after purchasing an additional 61,708 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 76.7% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 138,150 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $16,012,000 after acquiring an additional 59,979 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.4% during 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 acquiring an additional 693 shares in the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 29.6% during 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. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 0.5% in the 3rd 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.