SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $54.22.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on SM shares. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of SM Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. upgraded shares of SM Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of SM Energy from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $54.00 price objective on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $63.00 target price on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Thursday, June 27th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SM Energy

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Register Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SM Energy during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 461.9% in the second quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 590 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the period. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 509.7% in the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 567 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 474 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its position in shares of SM Energy by 54.9% in the first quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 581 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in shares of SM Energy by 665.6% in the first quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 689 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SM Energy Price Performance

NYSE SM opened at $39.56 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $44.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $46.83. The stock has a market cap of $4.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.20 and a beta of 4.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. SM Energy has a 52 week low of $34.13 and a 52 week high of $53.26.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The energy company reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.28. SM Energy had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 33.18%. The firm had revenue of $634.56 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $616.63 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.28 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that SM Energy will post 7.57 EPS for the current year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 19th were given a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 19th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.29%.

SM Energy Company Profile

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.