SM Energy’s (SM) “Overweight” Rating Reaffirmed at Stephens

Stephens restated their overweight rating on shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) in a research note published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $57.00 target price on the energy company’s stock.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on SM. TD Cowen upgraded SM Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $64.00 to $60.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. StockNews.com cut shares of SM Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of SM Energy from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $53.00 price objective (up previously from $51.00) on shares of SM Energy in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of SM Energy in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.64.

SM Energy Trading Up 3.6 %

Shares of SM Energy stock opened at $40.16 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 3.52 and a quick ratio of 3.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.60 billion, a PE ratio of 5.61 and a beta of 4.15. SM Energy has a 1-year low of $34.76 and a 1-year high of $53.26. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $41.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.08.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $643.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $643.67 million. SM Energy had a return on equity of 19.62% and a net margin of 33.89%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.73 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that SM Energy will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.99%. SM Energy’s payout ratio is presently 11.17%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Plato Investment Management Ltd grew its position in shares of SM Energy by 461.9% in the 2nd 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 last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in SM Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in SM Energy by 3,434.5% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,025 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 996 shares during the last quarter. Millburn Ridgefield Corp purchased a new position in SM Energy in the third quarter worth $55,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of SM Energy by 3,897.2% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 1,403 shares in the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.