SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Given “Overweight” Rating at Stephens

SM Energy (NYSE:SM)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating reissued by Stephens in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $57.00 price target on the energy company’s stock. Stephens’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 40.46% from the stock’s current price.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $53.00 price target (up previously from $51.00) on shares of SM Energy in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Susquehanna cut their target price on SM Energy from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of SM Energy from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.64.

SM Energy Stock Performance

SM stock opened at $40.58 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $41.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.04. SM Energy has a 12-month low of $34.76 and a 12-month high of $53.26. The firm has a market cap of $4.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 4.15. The company has a current ratio of 3.52, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.10. SM Energy had a net margin of 33.89% and a return on equity of 19.62%. The company had revenue of $643.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $643.67 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.73 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that SM Energy will post 6.77 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Plato Investment Management Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 461.9% in the second quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 590 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of SM Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in SM Energy by 3,434.5% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,025 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 996 shares during the period. Millburn Ridgefield Corp purchased a new position in SM Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in SM Energy by 3,897.2% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 1,403 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

SM Energy Company Profile

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.