SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also commented on SM. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on SM Energy from $26.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. KeyCorp boosted their target price on SM Energy from $29.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded SM Energy from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on SM Energy from $20.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, National Bank Financial set a $30.00 target price on SM Energy in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $33.31.

SM Energy Stock Performance

Shares of SM Energy stock opened at $28.34 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $25.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.02 and a beta of 0.78. SM Energy has a 12 month low of $17.45 and a 12 month high of $33.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $704.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $764.40 million. SM Energy had a return on equity of 13.47% and a net margin of 20.55%.SM Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.91 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that SM Energy will post 8.1 EPS for the current year.

SM Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This is a boost from SM Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.58%.

Institutional Trading of SM Energy

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SM. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in shares of SM Energy by 27.7% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 91,916 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,753,000 after purchasing an additional 19,965 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of SM Energy by 43.9% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 145,922 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $4,370,000 after purchasing an additional 44,542 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in shares of SM Energy by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 68,111 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,040,000 after purchasing an additional 2,969 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of SM Energy by 44.9% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,248 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $97,000 after purchasing an additional 1,007 shares in the last quarter. Finally, United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in shares of SM Energy in the first quarter valued at $222,000. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting SM Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting SM Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded SM from “Hold” to “Strong Buy,” added it to several Zacks Rank #1 lists and flagged rising earnings estimates—supporting upside momentum. Zacks upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published note that earnings estimates are being revised higher for SM, which tends to attract buyers ahead of results. Earnings Estimates Rising for SM Energy
• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp published a bullish forecast for SM’s Q1 earnings, adding another analyst voice expecting solid near‑term results. KeyCorp Has Bullish Forecast for SM Energy Q1 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: SM’s debt tender update clarified the post‑merger balance sheet and financial flexibility, reducing refinancing/credit concerns for investors. SM Energy Debt Tender Clarifies Post Merger Balance Sheet And Flexibility
• Neutral Sentiment: Roth MKM reaffirmed a “Neutral” rating but raised its price target to $33, implying mid‑teens upside from recent levels—mixed for near‑term trading. Roth MKM rating/price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus analyst stance remains around “Hold,” reflecting differing views despite recent upgrades and revisions. SM Energy Given Consensus Rating of Hold
• Negative Sentiment: SM shares plunged after headlines that a US‑Iran ceasefire reduced geopolitical risk and pressured oil prices, a direct negative for upstream E&P names. SM Energy Nosedives 8.1% on US-Iran Ceasefire
• Negative Sentiment: Roth Capital reportedly downgraded SM (headline selling pressure), compounding the day’s downward move. Roth Capital downgrades SM Energy

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.