SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

by · The Cerbat Gem

Shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM – Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $51.40.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on SM. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $62.00 to $57.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on SM Energy from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. Tudor Pickering upgraded SM Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. upgraded SM Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $63.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Thursday, June 27th.

Read Our Latest Analysis on SM

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SM Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of SM Energy by 113.9% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,281 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 682 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 116.9% in the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 71,800 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,780,000 after buying an additional 38,700 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in SM Energy by 22.6% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,077,231 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $41,710,000 after buying an additional 198,473 shares in the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of SM Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,075,000. Finally, Seven Eight Capital LP acquired a new stake in SM Energy during the 4th quarter worth $852,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

SM Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SM opened at $44.38 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $42.64 and a 200 day moving average of $46.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market capitalization of $5.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.96 and a beta of 4.18. SM Energy has a 52 week low of $34.13 and a 52 week high of $53.26.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The energy company reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.28. SM Energy had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 33.18%. The firm had revenue of $634.56 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $616.63 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.28 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that SM Energy will post 7.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 4th. Investors of record on Friday, October 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 25th. This is a boost from SM Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.54%.

About SM Energy

(Get Free Report

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.

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