Back to top

Image: Bigstock

SM Energy (SM) Gains But Lags Market: What You Should Know

Read MoreHide Full Article

SM Energy (SM - Free Report) closed at $35.29 in the latest trading session, marking a +0.77% move from the prior day. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.94% gain on the day. At the same time, the Dow added 0.63%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.55%.

Heading into today, shares of the independent oil and gas company had gained 2.58% over the past month, lagging the Oils-Energy sector's gain of 11.08% and outpacing the S&P 500's loss of 4.63% in that time.

Wall Street will be looking for positivity from SM Energy as it approaches its next earnings report date. On that day, SM Energy is projected to report earnings of $0.82 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 4000%. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $580.44 million, up 81.22% from the year-ago period.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for SM Energy. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 8.47% higher. SM Energy is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

In terms of valuation, SM Energy is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 5.78. This valuation marks a discount compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 6.12.

The Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - United States industry is part of the Oils-Energy sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 71, which puts it in the top 28% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


SM Energy Company (SM) - free report >>

Published in