SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Announces $0.18 Quarterly Dividend

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, March 26th, NASDAQ reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a dividend of 0.18 per share by the energy company on Friday, May 3rd. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th.

SM Energy has increased its dividend by an average of 210.7% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 1 years. SM Energy has a payout ratio of 5.3% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect SM Energy to earn $6.70 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.36 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 5.4%.

SM Energy Price Performance

Shares of SM stock opened at $50.31 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $45.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $40.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. SM Energy has a 12 month low of $25.03 and a 12 month high of $53.26. The company has a market capitalization of $5.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.32 and a beta of 4.20.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The energy company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.17. SM Energy had a return on equity of 20.74% and a net margin of 34.45%. The business had revenue of $608.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $611.35 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.29 EPS. SM Energy’s revenue was down 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that SM Energy will post 6.21 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. First Horizon Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in SM Energy in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of SM Energy by 561.7% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 880 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 747 shares in the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of SM Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. West Tower Group LLC grew its stake in SM Energy by 385.7% in the fourth quarter. West Tower Group LLC now owns 1,287 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 1,022 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 3,772.2% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,394 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 1,358 shares in the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on SM. Susquehanna boosted their price target on shares of SM Energy from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Seaport Res Ptn raised SM Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Mizuho boosted their price objective on SM Energy from $51.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. KeyCorp raised their target price on SM Energy from $51.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $45.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.29.

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.