SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $51.90.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on SM shares. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of SM Energy from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of SM Energy from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and set a $53.00 price target (up previously from $51.00) on shares of SM Energy in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. KeyCorp lowered their price target on shares of SM Energy from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded shares of SM Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $64.00 to $60.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th.

SM Energy Price Performance

Shares of SM traded up $2.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $39.43. The company had a trading volume of 880,399 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,401,609. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $40.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $42.14. SM Energy has a 1-year low of $36.13 and a 1-year high of $53.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 3.52. The company has a market capitalization of $4.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.50 and a beta of 4.11.

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 paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.03%. SM Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 11.17%.

Institutional Trading of SM Energy

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CWM LLC increased its stake in SM Energy by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,853 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in SM Energy by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,843 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 16.7% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,321 shares of the energy company's stock worth $133,000 after acquiring an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,062 shares of the energy company's stock worth $282,000 after acquiring an additional 505 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dana Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 33,392 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,294,000 after acquiring an additional 556 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.56% of the company's stock.

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.