SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $37.0714.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on SM shares. Roth Mkm reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $33.00 target price (up from $24.00) on shares of SM Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on SM Energy from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded SM Energy from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on SM Energy from $36.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on SM Energy from $26.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd.

SM Energy Trading Down 3.4%

NYSE:SM opened at $30.70 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $7.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.90 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $30.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.75. SM Energy has a 12-month low of $17.45 and a 12-month high of $35.88.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.42. The business had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. SM Energy had a return on equity of 13.93% and a net margin of 3.45%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 75.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.76 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that SM Energy will post 7.47 EPS for the current year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. SM Energy’s payout ratio is 36.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling at SM Energy

In related news, Director Ramiro G. Peru sold 24,553 shares of SM Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.98, for a total value of $834,310.94. Following the sale, the director directly owned 65,964 shares in the company, valued at $2,241,456.72. The trade was a 27.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.45% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of SM Energy

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Torren Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 4,561.1% in the first quarter. Torren Management LLC now owns 839 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 821 shares in the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in SM Energy during the first quarter worth $31,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in SM Energy during the first quarter worth $33,000. Assetmark Inc. purchased a new stake in SM Energy during the first quarter worth $35,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in SM Energy by 332.6% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,129 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 868 shares in the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About SM Energy

SM Energy Company (NYSE: SM) is an independent energy firm engaged in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States. The company focuses on identifying and exploiting unconventional onshore basins, leveraging advanced drilling and completion techniques to optimize resource recovery. SM Energy’s operations are supported by an integrated approach to reservoir management and strategic midstream partnerships, enabling efficient transportation and marketing of hydrocarbons.

The company’s core asset areas include prolific basins such as the Permian, Eagle Ford, and the Rocky Mountain region.