Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Raised to “Hold” at StockNews.com

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday.

ATO has been the subject of several other research reports. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Barclays increased their target price on Atmos Energy from $121.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 24th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH initiated coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday. They set a “buy” rating and a $144.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.71.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of ATO traded up $2.41 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $136.21. The company had a trading volume of 1,656,874 shares, compared to its average volume of 896,851. The company has a market capitalization of $21.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The company’s 50-day moving average is $126.01 and its 200-day moving average is $119.62. Atmos Energy has a twelve month low of $101.00 and a twelve month high of $136.33.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.09% and a return on equity of 8.94%. The business had revenue of $701.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $924.75 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.94 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 6.79 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 200.0% during the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 67.9% in the first quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 492 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Atmos Energy by 467.0% during the first quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp bought a new position in Atmos Energy in the first quarter valued at $89,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

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.