SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.06 EPS

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The energy company reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.06, Zacks reports. SM Energy had a return on equity of 16.67% and a net margin of 22.03%.

SM Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SM traded down $0.38 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $22.08. The stock had a trading volume of 6,478,767 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,737,240. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $19.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.56. SM Energy has a 1-year low of $17.45 and a 1-year high of $33.46.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th were given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 12.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Siebert Williams Shank cut SM Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. TD Cowen raised shares of SM Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $24.00 target price on shares of SM Energy in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, KeyCorp decreased their target price on SM Energy from $36.00 to $28.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $32.20.

Institutional Trading of SM Energy

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SM. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in SM Energy by 62.9% during 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. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in SM Energy in the third quarter worth about $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in SM Energy by 102.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,911 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 967 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming grew its position in SM Energy by 22.2% in the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 2,748 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 499 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in SM Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $80,000. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About SM Energy

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.