Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Lowered to Sell at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Saturday morning.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on the stock. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Friday, April 12th. They issued a neutral rating and a $124.00 price objective for the company. Barclays upped their price target on Atmos Energy from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $124.33.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 1.5 %

NYSE ATO opened at $118.64 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $115.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $114.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.44. The company has a market cap of $17.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.66. Atmos Energy has a one year low of $101.00 and a one year high of $125.28.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The utilities provider reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 8.62% and a net margin of 23.43%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.91 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 6.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were given a dividend of $0.805 per share. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is currently 51.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total value of $1,746,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 186,339 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,701,039.94. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 984.6% during the 3rd quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 282 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in Atmos Energy by 107.0% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 294 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 57.5% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 200.0% in 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. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

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.