Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Given a $156.00 Price Target by Morgan Stanley Analysts

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATOGet Free Report) received a $156.00 target price from Morgan Stanley in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 2.48% from the company’s previous close.

ATO has been the topic of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Argus raised Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Citigroup upped their target price on Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Atmos Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Atmos Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.05.

View Our Latest Stock Report on ATO

Atmos Energy Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of ATO stock opened at $152.23 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $24.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.14, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.33. Atmos Energy has a 52-week low of $113.46 and a 52-week high of $167.45. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $156.25 and its 200-day moving average is $148.88.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATOGet Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.92 by $0.11. Atmos Energy had a return on equity of 9.05% and a net margin of 25.35%. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.85 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Kim R. Cocklin sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.98, for a total transaction of $2,264,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 172,632 shares in the company, valued at $26,063,979.36. This represents a 7.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atmos Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 1.8% during the first quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 54,986 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,500,000 after purchasing an additional 957 shares during the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 6.6% during the first quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 6,350 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $982,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 6.2% during the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 17,005 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,629,000 after purchasing an additional 989 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in Atmos Energy during the first quarter worth $15,149,000. Finally, Intrua Financial LLC lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 4.8% during the first quarter. Intrua Financial LLC now owns 3,468 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $536,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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