SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on SM. Truist Financial dropped their target price on SM Energy from $49.00 to $46.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on SM Energy from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on SM Energy from $45.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on SM Energy from $42.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on SM Energy from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $54.44.

SM Energy Trading Up 0.7 %

SM opened at $45.91 on Wednesday. SM Energy has a 12 month low of $34.13 and a 12 month high of $53.26. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $46.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $45.34. The firm has a market cap of $5.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.20 and a beta of 4.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The energy company reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.13. SM Energy had a net margin of 31.80% and a return on equity of 20.10%. The company had revenue of $559.87 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $568.21 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that SM Energy will post 7.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 19th. SM Energy’s payout ratio is 11.29%.

Insider Activity

In other SM Energy news, SVP Kenneth J. Knott sold 16,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.28, for a total transaction of $804,480.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 114,495 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,756,808.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SM Energy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of SM. Register Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in SM Energy during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 509.7% in the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 567 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its position in SM Energy by 54.9% during the first quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 581 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in SM Energy by 665.6% during the first quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 689 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares during the period. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 63.9% in the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 872 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.