SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Shares Down 15.6% - What's Next?

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) traded down 15.6% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $26.16 and last traded at $25.75. 744,861 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 58% from the average session volume of 1,791,280 shares. The stock had previously closed at $30.52.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on SM shares. Williams Trading set a $41.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. 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. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $57.00 target price on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on SM Energy from $54.00 to $41.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, StockNews.com cut SM Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $48.00.

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SM Energy Stock Performance

The business's 50-day simple moving average is $32.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market cap of $2.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 3.75.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) last released 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). The company had revenue of $852.22 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $849.44 million. SM Energy had a net margin of 28.63% and a return on equity of 19.82%. As a group, equities analysts predict that SM Energy will post 8.1 earnings per share for the current year.

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.93%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. SM Energy's payout ratio is 11.98%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. purchased 7,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 14,666 shares in the company, valued at $474,591.76. The trade was a 91.31 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of SM Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SM. Gallacher Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of SM Energy by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 8,206 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $318,000 after buying an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 11,970 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $464,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew its position in SM Energy by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 97,800 shares of the energy company's stock worth $3,791,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of SM Energy by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 6,718 shares of the energy company's stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI grew its stake in shares of SM Energy by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 6,975 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $270,000 after buying an additional 492 shares in 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.