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

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued on Thursday.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Argus upgraded Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $148.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $148.75.

Atmos Energy Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of Atmos Energy stock opened at $142.49 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $141.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $138.19. The stock has a market cap of $22.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72. Atmos Energy has a 1-year low of $110.46 and a 1-year high of $152.65.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Edward Geiser bought 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Atmos Energy

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ATO. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $233,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 513.9% in the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 32,943 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,588,000 after buying an additional 27,577 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 20,979 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,922,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 51,495 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,172,000 after acquiring an additional 1,215 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moran Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.2% in the 4th quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 166,276 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $23,157,000 after acquiring an additional 18,025 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Company Profile

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.