SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Receives New Coverage from Analysts at Truist Financial

Stock analysts at Truist Financial started coverage on shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) in a report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage set a “hold” rating and a $51.00 price target on the energy company’s stock. Truist Financial’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 2.33% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. Stephens initiated coverage on SM Energy in a research report on Friday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $63.00 price target for the company. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of SM Energy from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of SM Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $45.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their target price on SM Energy from $42.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $55.11.

SM Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:SM opened at $49.84 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $48.75 and a 200-day moving average of $44.15. The firm has a market cap of $5.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.81 and a beta of 4.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. SM Energy has a twelve month low of $29.15 and a twelve month high of $53.26.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The energy company reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.13. SM Energy had a net margin of 31.80% and a return on equity of 20.10%. The firm had revenue of $559.87 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $568.21 million. Analysts forecast that SM Energy will post 6.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other SM Energy news, SVP Kenneth J. Knott sold 16,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.28, for a total transaction of $804,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 114,495 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,756,808.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SM. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of SM Energy by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,509,379 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $213,326,000 after acquiring an additional 493,427 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in SM Energy by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,593,103 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $61,685,000 after purchasing an additional 64,781 shares during the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 20.0% during the 1st quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 1,552,004 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $77,367,000 after purchasing an additional 258,733 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of SM Energy by 5.7% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,547,315 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $61,351,000 after buying an additional 83,588 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 44.5% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,163,332 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $46,126,000 after buying an additional 358,253 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.