SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Upgraded at StockNews.com

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Thursday.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Mizuho reduced their price objective on SM Energy from $57.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of SM Energy from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $53.00 price objective (up previously from $51.00) on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $57.00 target price on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, SM Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.90.

SM Energy Trading Down 4.4 %

Shares of NYSE SM traded down $1.70 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $37.13. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,571,080 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,594,351. SM Energy has a 12-month low of $36.13 and a 12-month high of $53.26. The company has a current ratio of 3.52, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $4.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.19 and a beta of 4.11. The business’s 50 day moving average is $39.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.80.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The energy company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.00 by ($0.09). SM Energy had a return on equity of 19.62% and a net margin of 33.89%. The business had revenue of $852.22 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $849.44 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that SM Energy will post 6.78 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SM Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. CWM LLC lifted its position in SM Energy by 11.4% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,853 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the period. Gallacher Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of SM Energy by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 8,206 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $318,000 after buying an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 3.3% in the 4th 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. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 7.0% in the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,843 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $234,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in SM Energy by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 97,800 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,791,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. 94.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About SM Energy

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.