SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $40.59 According to Analysts

SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eighteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $40.59.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on SM shares. Seaport Research Partners began coverage on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on SM Energy in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price objective for the company. Stephens reduced their target price on SM Energy from $61.00 to $52.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on SM Energy from $32.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th.

SM Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SM opened at $40.29 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The company has a market cap of $9.58 billion, a PE ratio of 7.93 and a beta of 0.95. The company’s 50 day moving average is $37.15 and its 200 day moving average is $30.21. SM Energy has a twelve month low of $17.45 and a twelve month high of $41.56.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The energy company reported $2.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.23. SM Energy had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 17.93%. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 215.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that SM Energy will post 8.15 EPS for the current year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 7th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 4th. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.32%.

Insider Transactions at SM Energy

In other SM Energy news, Director Ashwin Venkatraman sold 3,650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.28, for a total value of $139,722.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 12,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $479,457. This trade represents a 22.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP James Barker Lebeck sold 17,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.02, for a total value of $647,850.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 14,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $544,379.10. This represents a 54.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.45% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SM Energy

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Torren Management LLC raised its stake in SM Energy by 4,561.1% during the 1st quarter. Torren Management LLC now owns 839 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 821 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 211.2% during the third quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 974 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 661 shares in the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of SM Energy during the first quarter valued at $31,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in SM Energy during the first quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in SM Energy during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

SM Energy Company Profile

SM Energy Company is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development and production of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. Its activities include acquiring prospective acreage, drilling and completing wells, and managing producing properties in U.S. onshore oil and gas basins.

The company’s operations are primarily concentrated in Texas, including the Midland Basin in West Texas and the Eagle Ford shale region in South Texas. SM Energy focuses on development of unconventional resources and uses horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies to produce hydrocarbons from shale and other tight-rock formations.

Founded in 1908 as St.