SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Price Target Raised to $51.00 at Susquehanna

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) had its price target hoisted by Susquehanna from $42.00 to $51.00 in a report published on Monday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the energy company’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James cut their price objective on SM Energy from $53.00 to $45.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 8th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of SM Energy from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of SM Energy from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on SM Energy from $45.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a sector perform rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $52.57.

SM Energy Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE SM opened at $48.85 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $46.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $41.04. SM Energy has a 12 month low of $25.03 and a 12 month high of $53.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company has a market cap of $5.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.11 and a beta of 4.20.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The energy company reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.17. SM Energy had a net margin of 34.45% and a return on equity of 20.74%. The business had revenue of $608.73 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $611.35 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.29 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that SM Energy will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.48%.

Institutional Trading of SM Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AE Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of SM Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $535,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of SM Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,488,000. Mach 1 Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of SM Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $516,000. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in shares of SM Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $724,000. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 77,729 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,082,000 after buying an additional 1,954 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

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.