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

StockNews.com upgraded shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Friday.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on SM Energy from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded SM Energy from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of SM Energy from $51.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $53.00 to $45.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $45.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $52.57.

SM Energy Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE SM traded up $0.59 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $50.72. 1,907,051 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,590,175. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $48.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $41.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.86 and a beta of 4.21. SM Energy has a 12 month low of $25.03 and a 12 month high of $53.26.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The energy company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.17. SM Energy had a net margin of 31.80% and a return on equity of 20.10%. The business had revenue of $608.73 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $611.35 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.29 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that SM Energy will post 6.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th were given a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 18th. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.29%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SM Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SM. Register Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in SM Energy during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in SM Energy by 509.7% during the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 567 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its stake in SM Energy by 54.9% in the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 581 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in SM Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in SM Energy by 665.6% during the first quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 689 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares during the period. 94.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.