SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

by · The Cerbat Gem

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM – Free Report) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report report published on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

SM has been the topic of several other research reports. Raymond James Financial decreased their price target on SM Energy from $55.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on SM Energy in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price objective for the company. Stephens reduced their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $61.00 to $52.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Seaport Research Partners began coverage on shares of SM Energy in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of SM Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, SM Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $39.38.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on SM Energy

SM Energy Stock Down 6.4%

Shares of NYSE SM opened at $34.60 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.81 and a beta of 0.75. 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $34.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.15. SM Energy has a 1 year low of $17.45 and a 1 year high of $41.56.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The energy company reported $2.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.02 billion. SM Energy had a return on equity of 17.93% and a net margin of 18.20%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 215.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that SM Energy will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 7th were given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 4th. SM Energy’s payout ratio is currently 17.32%.

Insider Transactions at SM Energy

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SM Energy

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Torren Management LLC grew 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 worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 821 shares in the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of SM Energy in the first quarter valued at $31,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of SM Energy in the first quarter valued at $33,000. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in SM Energy in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. purchased a new position in SM Energy in the first quarter valued at $35,000. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About SM Energy

(Get Free Report)

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.

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