SM Energy (NYSE:SM) PT Raised to $57.00 at Mizuho

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Free Report) had its price target lifted by Mizuho from $51.00 to $57.00 in a research note published on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the energy company's stock.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on SM. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of SM Energy from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. KeyCorp decreased their price target on shares of SM Energy from $56.00 to $51.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a sector perform rating and issued a $45.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their price target on shares of SM Energy from $53.00 to $45.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $46.71.

SM Energy Stock Performance

Shares of SM traded up $0.72 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $52.76. The company had a trading volume of 1,907,012 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,599,094. The firm has a market cap of $6.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.68 and a beta of 4.20. The business has a fifty day moving average of $43.46 and a 200-day moving average of $40.09. SM Energy has a 12 month low of $25.03 and a 12 month high of $53.26. 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 (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The energy company reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $608.73 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $611.35 million. SM Energy had a net margin of 34.45% and a return on equity of 20.74%. The company's revenue was down 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.29 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that SM Energy will post 5.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.36%. SM Energy's payout ratio is 10.48%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SM Energy

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 41.0% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,075 shares of the energy company's stock worth $314,000 after acquiring an additional 2,348 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 28.4% in the first quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 20,390 shares of the energy company's stock worth $794,000 after acquiring an additional 4,513 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 55.1% in the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 63,571 shares of the energy company's stock worth $2,476,000 after acquiring an additional 22,582 shares during the last quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can lifted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 2.5% in the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 110,627 shares of the energy company's stock worth $4,431,000 after acquiring an additional 2,680 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. bought a new position in shares of SM Energy in the first quarter worth about $1,226,000. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.