Southwestern Energy (NYSE:SWN) Downgraded by Scotiabank

Southwestern Energy (NYSE:SWN - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at Scotiabank from a "sector outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. They currently have a $9.50 target price on the energy company's stock, up from their prior target price of $9.00. Scotiabank's target price would suggest a potential upside of 28.29% from the stock's current price.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on SWN. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Southwestern Energy in a report on Thursday, April 4th. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Mizuho raised Southwestern Energy from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their target price for the company from $6.00 to $9.00 in a report on Monday, February 26th. Citigroup upped their price target on Southwestern Energy from $8.00 to $8.24 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 12th. Susquehanna upped their price target on Southwestern Energy from $6.50 to $7.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus restated a "hold" rating and issued a $6.60 price target (down previously from $8.50) on shares of Southwestern Energy in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Southwestern Energy has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $8.11.

Southwestern Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SWN traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $7.41. 13,025,074 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,894,361. The company has a market cap of $8.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.33 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82. Southwestern Energy has a one year low of $4.57 and a one year high of $7.69. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $7.01 and a 200 day moving average of $6.77.

Southwestern Energy (NYSE:SWN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The energy company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.04. Southwestern Energy had a return on equity of 11.74% and a net margin of 23.87%. The firm had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.29 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.26 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 49.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Southwestern Energy will post 0.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Southwestern Energy

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SWN. Raymond James & Associates grew its position in shares of Southwestern Energy by 14.9% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 156,725 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 20,272 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Southwestern Energy by 133.9% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 139,901 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,003,000 after purchasing an additional 80,088 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Southwestern Energy by 47.5% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 236,458 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,695,000 after purchasing an additional 76,127 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Southwestern Energy by 184.8% during the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 78,456 shares of the energy company's stock worth $565,000 after purchasing an additional 50,904 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Advisor Networks LLC grew its holdings in Southwestern Energy by 9.5% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 46,886 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $336,000 after buying an additional 4,051 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Southwestern Energy Company Profile

Southwestern Energy Company, an independent energy company, engages in the exploration, development, and production of natural gas, oil, and natural gas liquids (NGLs) in the United States. It operates through two segments, Exploration and Production, and Marketing. The company focuses on the development of unconventional natural gas and oil reservoirs located in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Louisiana.