SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Hits New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $32.19 and last traded at $32.34, with a volume of 2959655 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $33.08.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on SM shares. Mizuho dropped their price target on SM Energy from $57.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $53.00 price target (up from $51.00) on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on SM Energy from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on SM Energy from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on SM Energy from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, SM Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.90.

SM Energy Trading Down 2.2 %

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $39.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $41.61. The firm has a market cap of $3.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 4.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 0.55.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The energy company reported $1.91 EPS 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 business had revenue of $852.22 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $849.44 million. On average, research analysts expect 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.98%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SM Energy

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of SM. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in SM Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in SM Energy by 3,434.5% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,025 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 996 shares in the last quarter. Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new position in SM Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $55,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in SM Energy by 3,897.2% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 1,403 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in SM Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $61,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.