SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Hits New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $32.19 and last traded at $32.34, with a volume of 2959655 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $33.08.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $57.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Susquehanna reduced their price target on SM Energy from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Mizuho reduced their price target on SM Energy from $57.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on SM Energy from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $53.00 price target (up previously from $51.00) on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $51.90.

SM Energy Stock Down 2.2 %

The business has a 50 day moving average of $39.32 and a 200-day moving average of $41.61. The stock has a market cap of $3.70 billion, a PE ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 4.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The energy company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.00 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $852.22 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $849.44 million. SM Energy had a return on equity of 19.82% and a net margin of 28.63%. Equities research analysts predict that SM Energy will post 8.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.47%. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.98%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of SM Energy by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,287,815 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $251,324,000 after purchasing an additional 114,664 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of SM Energy by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,632,255 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $179,546,000 after purchasing an additional 835,929 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of SM Energy by 2,515.6% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,463,443 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $178,404,000 after purchasing an additional 4,292,793 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of SM Energy by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,682,093 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $142,718,000 after purchasing an additional 296,601 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of SM Energy by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,693,372 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $107,675,000 after purchasing an additional 29,911 shares during the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is currently 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.