SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $42.92.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on SM shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of SM Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Stephens reduced their target price on shares of SM Energy from $62.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Raymond James lowered their target price on SM Energy from $59.00 to $40.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on SM Energy from $54.00 to $41.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Williams Trading set a $41.00 price objective on SM Energy in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th.

SM Energy Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of NYSE SM traded down $0.61 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $23.13. 1,537,578 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,968,442. SM Energy has a twelve month low of $19.67 and a twelve month high of $50.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 2.17. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $25.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.40.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The energy company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.60 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $844.54 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $814.62 million. SM Energy had a return on equity of 19.82% and a net margin of 28.63%. SM Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 50.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.13 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that SM Energy will post 8.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 5th. Investors of record on Friday, April 18th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.46%. SM Energy's payout ratio is presently 11.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling at SM Energy

In other news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. purchased 7,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $32.36 per share, for a total transaction of $226,520.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 14,666 shares in the company, valued at $474,591.76. The trade was a 91.31% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Gallacher Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in SM Energy by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 8,206 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $318,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in SM Energy by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 11,970 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $464,000 after buying an additional 379 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of SM Energy by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 97,800 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $3,791,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of SM Energy by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 6,718 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 402 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 69.5% during the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,017 shares of the energy company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 417 shares during the period. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.