Raymond James Has Lowered Expectations for SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Stock Price

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Free Report) had its price target cut by Raymond James from $59.00 to $40.00 in a research note released on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the energy company's stock.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on SM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $53.00 price objective (up previously from $51.00) on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of SM Energy from $57.00 to $55.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of SM Energy from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. StockNews.com lowered shares of SM Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Williams Trading set a $41.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, SM Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $50.00.

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SM Energy Stock Up 2.6 %

SM traded up $0.77 on Monday, hitting $29.84. The company had a trading volume of 2,867,615 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,699,556. SM Energy has a 52-week low of $26.66 and a 52-week high of $53.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 4.14. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $40.58. 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 (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The energy company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.00 by ($0.09). SM Energy had a return on equity of 19.82% and a net margin of 28.63%. The business had revenue of $852.22 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $849.44 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that SM Energy will post 8.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.68%. SM Energy's payout ratio is currently 11.98%.

Insider Activity at SM Energy

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. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SM Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SM. Gallacher Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 8,206 shares of the energy company's stock worth $318,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the period. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in SM Energy by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 11,970 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $464,000 after buying an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of SM Energy by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 97,800 shares of the energy company's stock worth $3,791,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its stake in SM Energy by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 6,718 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $260,000 after acquiring an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its holdings in SM Energy by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,321 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $133,000 after acquiring an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.