SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on SM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $53.00 price target (up from $51.00) on shares of SM Energy in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $57.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Mizuho cut their price target on SM Energy from $57.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Susquehanna cut their target price on SM Energy from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on SM Energy from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $51.90.

SM Energy Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE:SM opened at $32.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 3.52. SM Energy has a fifty-two week low of $31.80 and a fifty-two week high of $53.26. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $39.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.44. The stock has a market cap of $3.75 billion, a PE ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 4.11.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The energy company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.00 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $852.22 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $849.44 million. SM Energy had a net margin of 28.63% and a return on equity of 19.82%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that SM Energy will post 8.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at SM Energy

In other SM Energy news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. bought 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of $32.36 per share, for a total transaction of $226,520.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 14,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $474,591.76. This trade represents a 91.31 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SM Energy

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SM. Blue Trust Inc. boosted 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 valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 996 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 3,897.2% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 1,403 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in SM Energy in the third quarter valued at about $311,000. abrdn plc boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 6.5% in the third quarter. abrdn plc now owns 466,552 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $18,650,000 after acquiring an additional 28,425 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 5.8% in the third quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 186,832 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $7,468,000 after acquiring an additional 10,243 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

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.