Zacks Research Downgrades SM Energy (NYSE:SM) to Hold

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

SM has been the topic of a number of other reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of SM Energy from $26.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of SM Energy from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of SM Energy from $29.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of SM Energy from $36.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, National Bank Financial set a $30.00 target price on shares of SM Energy in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $36.79.

SM Energy Trading Down 5.8%

SM opened at $31.80 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.62 billion, a PE ratio of 13.36 and a beta of 0.73. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $30.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.39. SM Energy has a 12-month low of $17.45 and a 12-month high of $35.88.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The energy company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.42 billion. SM Energy had a net margin of 3.45% and a return on equity of 13.93%. The firm’s revenue was up 75.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.76 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that SM Energy will post 7.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at SM Energy

In related news, Director Ramiro G. Peru sold 24,553 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.98, for a total value of $834,310.94. Following the sale, the director owned 65,964 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,241,456.72. This trade represents a 27.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.45% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of SM Energy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Summit Global Investments increased 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 worth $868,000 after acquiring an additional 489 shares during the period. State of Wyoming increased its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 22.2% in the 4th 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 period. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 62.9% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,386 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp increased its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 1,860 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 678 shares during the period. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 22,211 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $415,000 after acquiring an additional 687 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

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.