SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Stock Rating Upgraded by TD Cowen

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at TD Cowen to a "strong-buy" rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. 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 research note on Thursday, March 13th. Raymond James Financial lowered SM Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on SM Energy from $39.00 to $24.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on SM Energy from $60.00 to $36.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on SM Energy from $33.00 to $29.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, SM Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $42.08.

SM Energy Stock Up 9.8%

Shares of SM traded up $2.49 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $27.83. 2,783,119 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,967,813. The company has a market cap of $3.19 billion, a PE ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 2.16. SM Energy has a 52 week low of $19.67 and a 52 week high of $48.49. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $24.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $30.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.57.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The energy company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.60 by $0.16. SM Energy had a return on equity of 19.90% and a net margin of 27.61%. The business had revenue of $844.54 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $814.62 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.13 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 50.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that SM Energy will post 8.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SM Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of SM Energy by 64.5% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,730 shares of the energy company's stock worth $183,000 after purchasing an additional 1,854 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in shares of SM Energy by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 21,258 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $637,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC increased its stake in SM Energy by 16.9% during the 1st quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 25,119 shares of the energy company's stock worth $752,000 after buying an additional 3,624 shares in the last quarter. Intrust Bank NA acquired a new position in shares of SM Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $396,000. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in SM Energy by 80.7% in the first quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,520 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 679 shares during the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is currently 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.