Susquehanna Raises SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Price Target to $51.00

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Free Report) had its price objective boosted by Susquehanna from $42.00 to $51.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. Susquehanna currently has a neutral rating on the energy company's stock.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on SM Energy from $45.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday. KeyCorp boosted 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. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a sector perform rating and issued a $45.00 target price on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Monday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of SM Energy from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised SM Energy from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, SM Energy currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $52.57.

SM Energy Stock Performance

SM Energy stock traded up $0.76 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $48.85. The stock had a trading volume of 1,096,314 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,582,816. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.65 billion, a PE ratio of 7.11 and a beta of 4.20. 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. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $46.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $40.95.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The energy company reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) 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 quarterly revenue was down 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.29 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that SM Energy will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid 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 1.47%. SM Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 10.48%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SM Energy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. purchased a new stake in SM Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $50,075,000. Channing Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in SM Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $46,492,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 72.8% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,054,503 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $81,461,000 after purchasing an additional 865,480 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 848.7% during the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 877,739 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $33,986,000 after purchasing an additional 785,222 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,509,379 shares of the energy company's stock worth $213,326,000 after purchasing an additional 493,427 shares during the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.