Analysts Set Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) Target Price at $172.22

Shares of Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the fourteen research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $172.2222.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Argus set a $172.00 price objective on Atmos Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $185.00 price target (up from $182.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $172.00 price objective (down from $182.00) on shares of Atmos Energy in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price 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 0.2%

Atmos Energy stock opened at $168.40 on Tuesday. Atmos Energy has a one year low of $136.16 and a one year high of $180.65. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $172.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $165.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $27.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.48, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.75.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 14th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm 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%. On average, analysts forecast that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Sean Donohue sold 450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.15, for a total value of $77,017.50. Following the sale, the director owned 877 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $150,098.55. The trade was a 33.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 105.4% in the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 191 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 141.2% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 234 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.