Analysts Set SM Energy (NYSE:SM) PT at $52.57

Shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $53.86.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday. KeyCorp raised their price objective on SM Energy from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on SM Energy from $45.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $42.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of SM Energy from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SM Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of SM Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $5,020,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of SM Energy during the first quarter worth about $4,773,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its position in SM Energy by 33.0% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 25,528 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,291,000 after buying an additional 6,327 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. acquired a new position in SM Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $210,000. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in SM Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $5,614,000. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

SM Energy Trading Down 3.5 %

SM opened at $49.16 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a current ratio of 1.48. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $48.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $41.90. SM Energy has a one year low of $25.20 and a one year high of $53.26. The stock has a market cap of $5.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.71 and a beta of 4.21.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The energy company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.17. SM Energy had a return on equity of 20.10% and a net margin of 31.80%. The company had revenue of $608.73 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $611.35 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.29 EPS. SM Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that SM Energy will post 6.53 EPS for the current year.

SM Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th were issued a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 18th. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.29%.

SM Energy Company Profile

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.