SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Receives $49.29 Consensus PT from Brokerages

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $49.29.

SM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $45.00 price objective on shares of SM Energy in a report on Monday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on SM Energy from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on SM Energy from $51.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Seaport Res Ptn raised SM Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on SM Energy from $51.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th.

SM Energy Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:SM opened at $50.42 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.84 billion, a PE ratio of 7.34 and a beta of 4.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.45. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $45.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $40.65. SM Energy has a 1 year low of $25.03 and a 1 year high of $53.26.

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

SM Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.48%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SM Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY bought a new stake in shares of SM Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,373,000. Tributary Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 27.3% in the 4th quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 574,120 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $22,230,000 after purchasing an additional 123,126 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 90.8% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 169,483 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $6,720,000 after purchasing an additional 80,653 shares during the period. Channing Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of SM Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $46,492,000. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of SM Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $270,000. 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.