SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Lifted to “Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Wednesday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on SM. KeyCorp raised their price target on SM Energy from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Stephens initiated coverage on SM Energy in a research report on Friday, June 21st. They issued an overweight rating and a $63.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on SM Energy from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on SM Energy from $45.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on SM Energy from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $55.11.

SM Energy Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE SM opened at $43.17 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $4.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.77 and a beta of 4.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.48. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $48.52 and its 200-day moving average is $44.32. SM Energy has a one year low of $29.51 and a one year high of $53.26.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The energy company reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $559.87 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $568.21 million. SM Energy had a return on equity of 20.10% and a net margin of 31.80%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that SM Energy will post 6.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 19th will be paid a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 19th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.67%. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 11.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at SM Energy

In other SM Energy news, SVP Kenneth J. Knott sold 16,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.28, for a total value of $804,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 114,495 shares in the company, valued at $5,756,808.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Boston Partners boosted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 18,606 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $928,000 after acquiring an additional 1,065 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc bought a new stake in SM Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $1,096,000. Adams Wealth Management boosted its stake in SM Energy by 26.7% in the 1st quarter. Adams Wealth Management now owns 52,546 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,619,000 after purchasing an additional 11,077 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in SM Energy by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 181,733 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $9,059,000 after purchasing an additional 8,653 shares during the period. Finally, Bayesian Capital Management LP bought a new stake in SM Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $368,000. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.