LADENBURG THALM/SH SH Increases Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Price Target to $150.50

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) had its price objective raised by equities researchers at LADENBURG THALM/SH SH from $144.00 to $150.50 in a research report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH’s target price points to a potential upside of 8.10% from the company’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on ATO. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Wednesday. They set a “hold” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Atmos Energy from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.69.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

NYSE ATO opened at $139.22 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $132.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $122.40. The stock has a market cap of $21.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Atmos Energy has a 52 week low of $103.70 and a 52 week high of $139.63.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.09% and a return on equity of 8.94%. The company had revenue of $701.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $924.75 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.94 EPS. Analysts forecast that Atmos Energy will post 6.78 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 33.6% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 4,446 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $515,000 after acquiring an additional 1,118 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its position in Atmos Energy by 32.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 19,295 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,236,000 after purchasing an additional 4,782 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 262,580 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,433,000 after purchasing an additional 12,337 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $270,000. Finally, NEOS Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $245,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently 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.