Wells Fargo & Company Boosts SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Price Target to $51.00

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $45.00 to $51.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "equal weight" rating on the energy company's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price target suggests a potential upside of 6.18% from the stock's current price.

SM has been the topic of a number of other reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $45.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Monday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on SM Energy from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Raymond James lowered their price target on SM Energy from $53.00 to $45.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 8th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of SM Energy from $51.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $51.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.86.

SM Energy Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of SM stock traded down $1.26 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $48.03. 1,300,742 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,590,986. SM Energy has a 1 year low of $25.03 and a 1 year high of $53.26. The firm has a market cap of $5.56 billion, a PE ratio of 6.99 and a beta of 4.20. The company's 50 day moving average is $45.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick 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 results on Wednesday, February 21st. The energy company reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.17. The company 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 20.74% and a net margin of 34.45%. The firm's revenue for the quarter 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. On average, equities research analysts predict that SM Energy will post 6.21 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CWM LLC increased its position in 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 acquiring an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Profund Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of SM Energy by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 6,999 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $271,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 20,125 shares of the energy company's stock worth $779,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the period. Eaton Vance Management boosted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 3.8% in the first quarter. Eaton Vance Management now owns 8,361 shares of the energy company's stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY grew its position in SM Energy by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY now owns 7,630 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 326 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.