SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Monday morning.

SM has been the subject of several other research reports. Susquehanna lifted their price target on SM Energy from $42.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on SM Energy from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of SM Energy from $45.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of SM Energy from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $52.57.

SM Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SM opened at $48.85 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $5.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.11 and a beta of 4.20. SM Energy has a 12 month low of $25.03 and a 12 month high of $53.26. The company has a 50 day moving average of $46.42 and a 200 day moving average of $41.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The energy company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.17. SM Energy had a net margin of 34.45% and a return on equity of 20.74%. The firm had revenue of $608.73 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $611.35 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.29 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that SM Energy will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. SM Energy’s payout ratio is 10.48%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SM Energy

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SM. Register Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of SM Energy during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in SM Energy by 509.7% during the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 567 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares during the period. BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new position in SM Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in SM Energy by 59.7% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 990 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 370 shares during the period. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in SM Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

About SM Energy

SM Energy Company, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil, gas, and natural gas liquids in the state of Texas. It has working interests in oil and gas producing wells in the Midland Basin and South Texas. The company was formerly known as St.