Analysts Set SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Target Price at $49.29

Shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $49.29.

A number of research firms recently commented on SM. KeyCorp upped their price objective on SM Energy from $51.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Raymond James decreased their price objective on SM Energy from $53.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 8th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on SM Energy from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $45.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on SM Energy from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th.

SM Energy Trading Down 0.6 %

SM opened at $50.42 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.45. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $45.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $40.65. SM Energy has a 1-year low of $25.03 and a 1-year high of $53.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.34 and a beta of 4.20.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The energy company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.17. SM Energy had a return on equity of 20.74% and a net margin of 34.45%. The firm had revenue of $608.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $611.35 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.29 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that SM Energy will post 6.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.43%. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.48%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. First Horizon Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of SM Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Penserra Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of SM Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of SM Energy by 561.7% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 880 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 747 shares in the last quarter. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of SM Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in SM Energy by 59.7% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 990 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares during the period. 94.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.