SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Sets New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

SM Energy (NYSE:SM)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $32.19 and last traded at $32.34, with a volume of 2959655 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $33.08.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $57.00 target price on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of SM Energy from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $53.00 target price (up previously from $51.00) on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of SM Energy from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of SM Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $51.90.

SM Energy Trading Up 0.7 %

The company has a market cap of $3.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 4.11. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $39.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $41.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 3.52.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The energy company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.00 by ($0.09). SM Energy had a return on equity of 19.82% and a net margin of 28.63%. The firm had revenue of $852.22 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $849.44 million. Research analysts anticipate that SM Energy will post 8.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. purchased 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $32.36 per share, with a total value of $226,520.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 14,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $474,591.76. This trade represents a 91.31 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SM Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new stake in SM Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $1,353,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its position in shares of SM Energy by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 97,424 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,776,000 after acquiring an additional 9,080 shares in the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management increased its position in shares of SM Energy by 42.9% during the fourth quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management now owns 84,933 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,292,000 after acquiring an additional 25,507 shares in the last quarter. GTS Securities LLC increased its position in shares of SM Energy by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 26,874 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,042,000 after acquiring an additional 2,774 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its position in shares of SM Energy by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 2,118,297 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $82,105,000 after acquiring an additional 42,297 shares in the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.