SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

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

A number of other research firms also recently commented on SM. Susquehanna upped their price objective on SM Energy from $42.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on SM Energy from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on SM Energy from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Mizuho increased their price objective on SM Energy from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of SM Energy from $49.00 to $46.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, SM Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $54.56.

SM Energy Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:SM traded down $0.48 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $44.50. 1,537,412 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,719,500. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm has a market cap of $5.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.97 and a beta of 4.20. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $46.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.23. SM Energy has a 1-year low of $34.13 and a 1-year high of $53.26.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The energy company reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $559.87 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $568.21 million. SM Energy had a net margin of 31.80% and a return on equity of 20.10%. Equities analysts predict that SM Energy will post 7.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other SM Energy news, SVP Kenneth J. Knott sold 16,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.28, for a total value of $804,480.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 114,495 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,756,808.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SM. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of SM Energy by 23.7% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 209,641 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $8,117,000 after acquiring an additional 40,158 shares in the last quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of SM Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Caprock Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 8,408 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $326,000 after purchasing an additional 684 shares during the period. Trust Point Inc. bought a new position in shares of SM Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $544,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of SM Energy by 3,772.2% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,394 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 1,358 shares in the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.