SM Energy (SM) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.18 on May 3rd

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, March 26th, NASDAQ reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a dividend of 0.18 per share by the energy company on Friday, May 3rd. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th.

SM Energy has increased its dividend payment by an average of 210.7% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 1 consecutive years. SM Energy has a dividend payout ratio of 5.3% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect SM Energy to earn $6.70 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.36 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 5.4%.

SM Energy Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE SM opened at $50.42 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $5.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.34 and a beta of 4.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a current ratio of 1.45. SM Energy has a 1 year low of $25.03 and a 1 year high of $53.26. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $45.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $40.65.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The energy company reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $608.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $611.35 million. SM Energy had a return on equity of 20.74% and a net margin of 34.45%. The business’s revenue was down 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.29 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that SM Energy will post 6.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of SM Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Penserra Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of SM Energy during the third quarter worth $28,000. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of SM Energy by 561.7% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 880 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 747 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in SM Energy in the first quarter worth $25,000. West Tower Group LLC increased its stake in SM Energy by 385.7% during the fourth quarter. West Tower Group LLC now owns 1,287 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 1,022 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in SM Energy by 3,772.2% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,394 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 1,358 shares during the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on SM. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $45.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a report on Monday, February 5th. Raymond James dropped their price objective on SM Energy from $53.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 8th. Mizuho lifted their target price on SM Energy from $51.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on SM Energy from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, SM Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.29.

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.