Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Plans Quarterly Dividend of $0.87

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, February 4th,RTT News reports. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a dividend of 0.87 per share by the utilities provider on Monday, March 10th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.38%.

Atmos Energy has raised its dividend payment by an average of 8.7% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 35 consecutive years. Atmos Energy has a payout ratio of 45.0% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Atmos Energy to earn $7.73 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.48 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 45.0%.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO traded up $3.53 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $145.93. 52,489 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 872,026. The stock has a market cap of $22.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.13, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy has a twelve month low of $110.46 and a twelve month high of $152.65. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $141.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $138.11.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.83% and a net margin of 25.04%. On average, research analysts forecast that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Atmos Energy

In other news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.75.

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.