StockNews.com Downgrades SM Energy (NYSE:SM) to Hold

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Monday.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. KeyCorp boosted their target price on SM Energy from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of SM Energy from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of SM Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on SM Energy from $45.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $54.57.

SM Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SM traded up $0.51 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $49.46. The company had a trading volume of 1,188,068 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,568,225. SM Energy has a one year low of $25.84 and a one year high of $53.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company's 50-day moving average price is $49.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $42.27. The firm has a market cap of $5.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.75 and a beta of 4.21.

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 31.80% and a return on equity of 20.10%. 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, equities research analysts anticipate that SM Energy will post 6.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SM Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Register Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of SM Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in SM Energy by 509.7% during the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 567 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 206 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 665.6% in the 1st quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 689 shares of the energy company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew 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 acquiring an additional 332 shares during the period. 94.56% of the stock is currently 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.

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