Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Price Target Raised to $147.00 at Morgan Stanley

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) had its target price lifted by Morgan Stanley from $142.00 to $147.00 in a report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho boosted their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com downgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Argus raised Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.15.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of ATO opened at $150.72 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $146.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $142.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56. Atmos Energy has a 52-week low of $110.97 and a 52-week high of $154.55. The company has a market cap of $23.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.47, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.67.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATO. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1,542.9% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 72.5% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.