SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Upgraded by UBS Group to Strong-Buy Rating

UBS Group upgraded shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on SM. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on SM Energy from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on SM Energy from $36.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of SM Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $40.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 20th. National Bank Financial set a $30.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of SM Energy from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $36.93.

SM Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SM opened at $29.97 on Tuesday. SM Energy has a 12 month low of $17.45 and a 12 month high of $35.88. The stock has a market cap of $7.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.59 and a beta of 0.73. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $30.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.39.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.42. SM Energy had a return on equity of 13.93% and a net margin of 3.45%.The firm had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.76 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 75.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that SM Energy will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. SM Energy’s payout ratio is 36.97%.

Insider Activity at SM Energy

In related news, Director Ramiro G. Peru sold 24,553 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.98, for a total value of $834,310.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 65,964 shares in the company, valued at $2,241,456.72. This trade represents a 27.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.45% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of SM Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SM. NBC Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of SM Energy by 160.5% in the fourth quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,347 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 830 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of SM Energy by 10,461.5% in the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 1,373 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,360 shares in the last quarter. Torren Management LLC lifted its position in shares of SM Energy by 4,561.1% in the 1st quarter. Torren Management LLC now owns 839 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 821 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in SM Energy by 62.9% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,386 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares during the period. Finally, Center for Financial Planning Inc. purchased a new position in SM Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

SM Energy Company Profile

SM Energy Company (NYSE: SM) is an independent energy firm engaged in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States. The company focuses on identifying and exploiting unconventional onshore basins, leveraging advanced drilling and completion techniques to optimize resource recovery. SM Energy’s operations are supported by an integrated approach to reservoir management and strategic midstream partnerships, enabling efficient transportation and marketing of hydrocarbons.

The company’s core asset areas include prolific basins such as the Permian, Eagle Ford, and the Rocky Mountain region.