SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Downgraded to "Hold" Rating by StockNews.com

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on SM. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of SM Energy from $57.00 to $55.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on SM Energy from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $57.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Susquehanna lowered their price target on SM Energy from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective 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. Seven 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, SM Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $51.90.

SM Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SM traded down $3.03 during trading on Friday, reaching $29.69. The company had a trading volume of 1,395,388 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,788,607. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.40 billion, a PE ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 4.11. SM Energy has a twelve month low of $29.84 and a twelve month high of $53.26. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $39.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $41.42.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The energy company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $849.44 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that SM Energy will post 8.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at SM Energy

In related news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. bought 7,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $32.36 per share, for a total transaction of $226,520.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 14,666 shares in the company, valued at $474,591.76. This represents a 91.31 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SM Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in SM Energy by 2,515.6% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,463,443 shares of the energy company's stock worth $178,404,000 after buying an additional 4,292,793 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of SM Energy by 22.0% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,632,255 shares of the energy company's stock worth $179,546,000 after acquiring an additional 835,929 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 40.1% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,683,131 shares of the energy company's stock worth $103,998,000 after acquiring an additional 767,779 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in SM Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $22,059,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 214.7% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 519,302 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $20,128,000 after purchasing an additional 354,297 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.