Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on ATO. Barclays raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $143.94.

Atmos Energy Stock Performance

ATO opened at $143.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.73. Atmos Energy has a 52-week low of $105.44 and a 52-week high of $144.32. The firm has a market cap of $21.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. The business’s fifty day moving average is $134.92 and its 200-day moving average is $124.29.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 25.09%. The firm had revenue of $701.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $924.75 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.94 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Atmos Energy will post 6.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were issued a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.28%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 200.0% during the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 288 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the second quarter worth about $37,000. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 467.0% during the 1st quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Atmos Energy by 75.6% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $91,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 248.5% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 805 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 574 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.