Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Upgraded by LADENBURG THALM/SH SH to “Strong-Buy” Rating

LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Mizuho upped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com cut Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.6 %

ATO stock opened at $150.53 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market cap of $23.89 billion, a PE ratio of 21.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67. Atmos Energy has a 52 week low of $110.97 and a 52 week high of $154.55. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $142.31.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 25.90%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 49.57%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 33.3% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,114,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $1,897,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 348,988 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,604,000 after purchasing an additional 38,459 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 6,029 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $840,000 after purchasing an additional 681 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.