Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Hits New 52-Week High at $137.72

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) shares hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $137.72 and last traded at $137.27, with a volume of 11176 shares. The stock had previously closed at $136.97.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Atmos Energy from $122.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 24th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a report on Monday, September 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $144.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.71.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.68. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $128.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $120.63.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $701.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $924.75 million. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.09% and a return on equity of 8.94%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.94 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy Co. will post 6.79 EPS for the current year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were given a dividend of $0.805 per share. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 48.28%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ATO. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 0.3% during 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 buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 3.9% in the 2nd 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 period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,880 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $219,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. TIAA Trust National Association lifted its position in Atmos Energy by 2.9% during the first quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 3,612 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $429,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Atmos Energy by 0.4% during the first quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. now owns 24,285 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,887,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

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.