SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Receives $51.90 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $51.90.

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $53.00 price target (up from $51.00) on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $57.00 price objective on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of SM Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of SM Energy from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of 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.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. acquired 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $32.36 per share, for a total transaction of $226,520.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SM Energy

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 80,343 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new position in shares of SM Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $259,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 79.2% in 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 acquiring an additional 28,920 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of SM Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,048,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $894,000 after acquiring an additional 13,215 shares during the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

SM Energy Price Performance

Shares of SM traded down $0.06 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $27.46. 46,789 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,672,920. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $38.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $41.18. The company has a market cap of $3.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.07 and a beta of 4.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. SM Energy has a 1 year low of $26.66 and a 1 year high of $53.26.

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

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.91%. SM Energy's payout ratio is presently 11.98%.

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.