Brokerages Set SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM) PT at $33.20

Shares of SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation, four have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $32.20.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on SM shares. TD Cowen upgraded shares of SM Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of SM Energy from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of SM Energy from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 26th. KeyCorp dropped their price objective on SM Energy from $36.00 to $28.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded SM Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday.

SM Energy News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting SM Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: SM completed its merger with Civitas Resources, creating a larger E&P operator with greater scale in core U.S. basins; the deal increases production and potential cost synergies that support forward cash flow expectations. SM Energy Completes Merger
• Positive Sentiment: SM agreed to sell select South Texas (Galvan Ranch) assets to Caturus Energy for $950 million in cash. Management says proceeds will be used to accelerate deleveraging and strengthen the capital structure — a clear near-term positive for credit metrics and dividend/return optionality. SM Asset Sale Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment has improved modestly: Zacks upgraded SM from “strong sell” to “hold,” reducing near-term downside risk from analyst coverage changes. Zacks Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: SM was named among lists of attractive crude-oil names, which may support investor interest but is primarily reputational and longer-term in effect. SM Inclusion in Oil Stock Lists
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts expect a decline in reported earnings for the upcoming quarter; an earnings miss or weak guidance could pressure the stock despite the asset sale and merger tailwinds. Earnings Expectations
• Neutral Sentiment: SM is scheduled to release earnings soon; results and management commentary will likely determine whether the recent positive momentum is sustained. Earnings Release Notice

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SM Energy

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CSM Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of SM Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,134,000. Congress Asset Management Co. grew its holdings in SM Energy by 19.9% during the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,212,775 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $30,283,000 after purchasing an additional 201,704 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its stake in SM Energy by 33.1% in the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 294,546 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $7,278,000 after purchasing an additional 73,240 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its holdings in SM Energy by 135.2% in the third quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 254,766 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $6,362,000 after purchasing an additional 146,444 shares during the period. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC bought a new position in shares of SM Energy during the second quarter worth $1,709,000. 94.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SM Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SM opened at $23.52 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $19.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.56. SM Energy has a 52 week low of $17.45 and a 52 week high of $39.40. The firm has a market cap of $2.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 1.14.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

About SM Energy

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.