Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Hits New 12-Month High at $133.62

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $133.62 and last traded at $133.51, with a volume of 791708 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $130.80.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of 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 Atmos Energy in a research report on Monday. They set a “buy” rating and a $144.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Atmos Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.71.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 2.3 %

The firm has a market cap of $20.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.61, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.73. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $125.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $119.48.

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

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 9th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th will be paid a $0.805 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 26th. This represents a $3.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.41%. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.28%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ATO. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 30,179 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,520,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 3.9% during 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 last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 5.4% in the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,880 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $219,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.9% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. lifted its position 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 worth $2,887,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.