SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $45.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Susquehanna raised their target price on SM Energy from $42.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed 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, Mizuho increased their price target on SM Energy from $51.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $52.57.

SM Energy Stock Performance

Shares of SM Energy stock opened at $50.13 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.86 and a beta of 4.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. SM Energy has a twelve month low of $25.03 and a twelve month high of $53.26. The company’s fifty day moving average is $48.24 and its 200 day moving average is $41.62.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The energy company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $608.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $611.35 million. SM Energy had a return on equity of 20.48% and a net margin of 31.80%. The firm’s revenue was down 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.29 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that SM Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of SM Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of SM Energy by 54.9% during the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 581 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of SM Energy by 11.3% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,683 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $104,000 after buying an additional 272 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 20,125 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $779,000 after buying an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 66.8% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 829 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of SM Energy by 31.6% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,469 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 353 shares during the period. 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.