SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Sets New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $35.68 and last traded at $35.51, with a volume of 359995 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $37.11.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of SM Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on SM Energy from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. 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. Truist Financial lifted their target price on SM Energy from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of SM Energy from $57.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, SM Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $51.90.

SM Energy Trading Down 6.8 %

The company has a quick ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 4.11. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $41.80.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The energy company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.00 by ($0.09). SM Energy had a return on equity of 20.30% and a net margin of 28.63%. The company had revenue of $852.22 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $849.44 million. Analysts anticipate that SM Energy will post 8.1 EPS for the current year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.98%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SM Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC boosted its position in SM Energy by 47.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 250,218 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $10,002,000 after acquiring an additional 80,343 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new position in SM Energy during the third quarter valued at $259,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 79.2% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 65,421 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,615,000 after buying an additional 28,920 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SM Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $3,048,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in shares of SM Energy by 144.6% in the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 22,357 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $894,000 after acquiring an additional 13,215 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.