SM Energy’s (SM) “Neutral” Rating Reaffirmed at Roth Mkm

Roth Mkm reaffirmed their neutral rating on shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports. Roth Mkm currently has a $33.00 target price on the energy company’s stock, up from their previous target price of $24.00.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on SM Energy from $35.00 to $29.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. TD Cowen cut their target price on SM Energy from $36.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Truist Financial began coverage on SM Energy in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $38.00 price target for the company. Siebert Williams Shank lowered SM Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Stephens increased their price target on SM Energy from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.31.

SM Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:SM opened at $28.75 on Wednesday. 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 has a 12-month low of $17.45 and a 12-month high of $33.25. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $25.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.09 and a beta of 0.78.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.10. SM Energy had a return on equity of 13.47% and a net margin of 20.55%.The firm had revenue of $704.92 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $764.40 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.91 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that SM Energy will post 8.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Increases Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SM Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp boosted its stake in SM Energy by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,257,360 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $118,267,000 after buying an additional 107,295 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,921,769 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $147,876,000 after purchasing an additional 30,951 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,585,624 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $114,503,000 after purchasing an additional 375,754 shares during the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 16.3% in the 2nd quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 3,731,350 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $92,202,000 after purchasing an additional 524,105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 205.1% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,835,718 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $53,028,000 after purchasing an additional 1,906,255 shares during the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting SM Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple sell‑side upgrades and estimate raises have pushed near‑term earnings expectations materially higher (KeyCorp lifted Q1–Q4 and FY2026/FY2027 EPS forecasts and carries an Overweight/$39 target), which supports a higher valuation if results track.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks notes rising earnings estimate revisions for SM, and SM was added to several Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) lists for April (general, income, and value‑style lists), highlighting momentum among quant/value screens — a reason some buyers may still be accumulating. Earnings Estimates Rising for SM Energy (SM) New Strong Buy Stocks for April 8th
• Positive Sentiment: SM clarified a debt‑tender process tied to the recent merger, which management says improves the post‑merger balance sheet and flexibility — this reduces a key financing/credit risk that had weighed on the stock. SM Energy Debt Tender Clarifies Post Merger Balance Sheet And Flexibility
• Neutral Sentiment: Roth MKM reaffirmed a “neutral” rating while raising its price target to $33 from $24 — the higher PT is constructive, but the neutral stance tempers upside expectations. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: SM scheduled its Q1 2026 results release and conference call for May 6–7; the approaching report is likely increasing short‑term volatility as traders position ahead of the print. SM Energy Schedules First Quarter 2026 Conference Call
• Neutral Sentiment: Proposed legislation (H.R.8034) would improve tax treatment for small oil & gas producers starting in 2027; it’s potentially positive for industry cash flow but remains early stage and uncertain. H.R.8034 Bill Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Consensus analyst coverage still reads as a “Hold” overall, which can limit broad institutional buying despite pockets of bullish upgrades. SM Given Consensus Rating of Hold
• Negative Sentiment: SM’s most recent quarter showed a Y/Y revenue decline and a revenue miss versus consensus, leaving some investors wary that upside will need to come primarily from margin expansion and higher commodity realizations. (See company recent results and MarketBeat summary.) MarketBeat SM Summary
• Negative Sentiment: SM had risen recently (Zacks noted momentum), and elevated intraday volume suggests profit‑taking and position‑rebalancing may be driving today’s sell‑off despite the constructive fundamental headlines. SM Energy Outpaces Stock Market Gains

SM Energy Company Profile

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.