SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Given New $45.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) had its price objective decreased by Wells Fargo & Company from $47.00 to $45.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the energy company’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on SM. Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. upgraded SM Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of SM Energy from $57.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com cut SM Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Stephens boosted their price target on SM Energy from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of SM Energy from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.64.

SM Energy Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:SM opened at $38.88 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $4.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.43 and a beta of 4.14. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $42.95 and its 200-day moving average is $43.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 3.52. SM Energy has a 52-week low of $34.76 and a 52-week high of $53.26.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $643.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $643.67 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.73 EPS. The business’s revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that SM Energy will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current year.

SM Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 4th. Investors of record on Friday, October 25th were issued a $0.20 dividend. This is a boost from SM Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 25th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.06%. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.17%.

Institutional Trading of SM Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SM. Plato Investment Management Ltd boosted its position in shares of SM Energy by 461.9% in the 2nd quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 590 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of SM Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in SM Energy by 3,434.5% in the third 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 bought a new position in shares of SM Energy during the third quarter worth $55,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 3,897.2% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 1,403 shares during the period. 94.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.