Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

by · The Markets Daily

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO – Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Friday.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on ATO. Mizuho upped their price objective on Atmos Energy from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $172.00 to $165.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Zacks Research raised shares of Atmos Energy to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $174.11.

Get Our Latest Research Report on Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of ATO stock traded down $0.85 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $164.55. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,542,705 shares, compared to its average volume of 919,383. Atmos Energy has a fifty-two week low of $138.77 and a fifty-two week high of $180.65. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $169.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $167.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $26.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.97, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.77.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO – Get Free Report) last released 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 for the quarter. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.07% and a net margin of 25.49%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Sean Donohue sold 450 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.15, for a total value of $77,017.50. Following the sale, the director owned 877 shares in the company, valued at approximately $150,098.55. This trade represents a 33.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atmos Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ATO. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Atmos Energy by 85.9% during the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 158 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 270.2% during the 4th quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 174 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its position in Atmos Energy by 105.4% in the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 191 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Atmos Energy

(Get Free Report)

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.

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