SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Rating Increased to Overweight at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday, MarketBeat reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has $40.00 price target on the energy company’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of SM Energy from $35.00 to $29.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Siebert Williams Shank downgraded shares of SM Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Mizuho set a $34.00 price objective on SM Energy in a research report on Friday, January 9th. National Bank Financial set a $30.00 target price on SM Energy in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded SM Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 16th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $31.09.

SM Energy Trading Up 8.3%

SM stock opened at $30.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.69. SM Energy has a 1-year low of $17.45 and a 1-year high of $32.26. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $22.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.74. The company has a market capitalization of $3.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.32 and a beta of 1.03.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.10. SM Energy had a net margin of 20.55% and a return on equity of 13.47%. The firm had revenue of $704.92 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $764.40 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.91 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that SM Energy will post 8.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. This is an increase from SM Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.58%.

Institutional Trading of SM Energy

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in SM. Summit Global Investments lifted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 46,417 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $868,000 after acquiring an additional 489 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming increased its stake in SM Energy by 22.2% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 2,748 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 499 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in SM Energy by 36.3% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,010 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in SM Energy by 62.9% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,386 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 535 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First National Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. First National Advisers LLC now owns 12,604 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $315,000 after acquiring an additional 578 shares during the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More SM Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Global oil-risk rally lifts upstream names — renewed Middle East conflict fears and targeted strikes on gas infrastructure have driven WTI and Brent sharply higher this month, boosting expectations for higher cash flow at U.S. E&P companies like SM. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Company deleveraging and shareholder-return steps are supporting the rally — SM agreed to sell South Texas assets for ~$950M, has an upsized $1.0B senior note sale to fund a tender offer for 2028 notes, and raised its base dividend by 10%. Management says proceeds will prioritize debt reduction, improving financial flexibility and payout credibility. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgrade — the firm moved SM from Neutral to Overweight with a $40 price target, providing a notable buy-side analyst catalyst and signaling confidence in the company’s outlook and capital-plan execution. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst activity — Wells Fargo raised its target to $25 (Equal Weight) while TD Cowen set a $30 target; Street sentiment remains varied (consensus = Hold), so analyst noise could keep intraday swings elevated. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor commentary and valuation narratives — recent pieces (e.g., Seeking Alpha) argue SM remains a value/bargain play versus peers, which can attract longer-term buyers but may have limited near-term impact vs. macro-driven moves. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Large institutional rebalancing — Q4 2025 filings show several big managers materially reduced positions, even as some funds added shares; concentrated selling by a few large holders could add volatility if continued. Article Title

SM Energy Company Profile

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.