Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) Receives $173.22 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the thirteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $174.1111.

Several equities research analysts have commented on ATO shares. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 27th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $159.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th.

Atmos Energy Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of ATO stock opened at $168.06 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $27.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.44, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a 50 day moving average of $170.17 and a 200-day moving average of $167.68. Atmos Energy has a 12-month low of $138.77 and a 12-month high of $180.65.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 14th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $737.48 million during the quarter. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.07% and a net margin of 25.49%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 24th were given a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.87. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 24th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.40%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Sean Donohue sold 450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.15, for a total transaction of $77,017.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 877 shares in the company, valued at approximately $150,098.55. The trade was a 33.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Greenleaf Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.3% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 3,490 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $585,000 after buying an additional 382 shares in the last quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 51.4% during the fourth quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC now owns 5,600 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $939,000 after acquiring an additional 1,900 shares in the last quarter. Leo Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $264,000. Sowell Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 2,227 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,683 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $450,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

About Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE: ATO) is a U.S.-based natural-gas utility that primarily focuses on the regulated distribution of natural gas. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company operates through local distribution systems to deliver natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and electric generation customers. Atmos’s core activities include pipeline operations, gas distribution, system maintenance and reliability programs designed to ensure safe and continuous service to its customers.

The company’s services encompass gas delivery, system integrity and maintenance, storage and transmission connections, and customer-facing programs such as billing, conservation initiatives and energy-efficiency offerings.