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

Shares of SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seventeen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $38.1875.

Several research firms have issued reports on SM. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on SM Energy in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price target on the stock. Truist Financial increased their price target on SM Energy from $37.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Seaport Research Partners assumed coverage on SM Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. They set a “sell” rating and a $35.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of SM Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, August 30th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other SM Energy news, EVP James Barker Lebeck sold 17,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.02, for a total value of $647,850.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 14,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $544,379.10. The trade was a 54.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Ashwin Venkatraman sold 3,650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.28, for a total value of $139,722.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 12,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $479,457. This represents a 22.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.45% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SM Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Torren Management LLC increased its stake in SM Energy by 4,561.1% during the first quarter. Torren Management LLC now owns 839 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 821 shares during the period. Center for Financial Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in SM Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in SM Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new stake in SM Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. acquired a new stake in SM Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

SM Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:SM opened at $38.11 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $33.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.46. SM Energy has a 1-year low of $17.45 and a 1-year high of $38.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.50 and a beta of 0.75.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The energy company reported $2.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.23. SM Energy had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 17.93%. The business had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 215.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that SM Energy will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 7th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.32%.

SM Energy Company Profile

SM Energy Company (NYSE: SM) is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development and production of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. Its operations focus on acquiring and developing oil and gas properties and producing hydrocarbons from onshore assets in the United States.

The company’s principal operations are concentrated in the Permian Basin of West Texas and the South Texas region. SM Energy has also expanded its U.S. operating portfolio through acquisitions, including assets in Utah’s Uinta Basin.