Brokerages Set Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Price Target at $143.94

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $144.31.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th.

Insider Transactions at Atmos Energy

In related news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Atmos Energy by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 1.4% in the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 5,973 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $829,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $219,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:ATO opened at $150.05 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $140.75 and a 200-day moving average of $128.57. The firm has a market cap of $23.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy has a twelve month low of $110.46 and a twelve month high of $151.24.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 46.87%.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

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.