Why SM Energy (SM) Stock Is Up Today

SM Energy (SM) is up 3.9% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.

Analysis: The move appears tied to a combination of strong second-quarter results, higher production guidance, and ongoing balance-sheet improvement. Recent bullish analyst actions and firmer crude prices likely added support for shares of the oil producer.

Details:

SM Energy reported second-quarter 2026 results on August 5 and raised its second-half production outlook to 435 to 440 MBoe/d, including about 238 MBbl/d of oil, while keeping full-year capital guidance unchanged.

The company also highlighted record operating cash flow of about $1.1 billion, adjusted free cash flow of $467 million, and said 95% of its merger-related synergy target had already been actioned.

Leverage also moved in a better direction after the South Texas asset sale. Management said proceeds helped redeem 2026 notes, cut net debt materially, and support the planned redemption of the remaining 2027 senior notes.

This could also be because sentiment toward exploration and production stocks has improved alongside a recent rise in crude prices, while analyst price targets moved higher after the earnings release.

Sources:

SM Energy, Yahoo Finance, MarketScreener

Disclaimer: This price movement analysis was generated with the help of AI. Please double-check the information provided for mistakes.

$SM Insider Trading Activity

$SM insiders have traded $SM stock on the open market 1 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 1 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $SM stock by insiders over the last 6 months:

RAMIRO G PERU sold 24,553 shares for an estimated $834,310

To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard. You can access data on insider stock transactions through the Quiver Quantitative API insider transaction endpoint.

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$SM Hedge Fund Activity

We have seen 290 institutional investors add shares of $SM stock to their portfolio, and 261 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

Here are some of the largest recent moves:

JPMORGAN CHASE & CO added 3,510,729 shares (+14628.0%) to their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $91,630,026
SIXTH STREET PARTNERS MANAGEMENT COMPANY, L.P. added 2,893,103 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $75,509,988
FULLER & THALER ASSET MANAGEMENT, INC. added 2,280,261 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $59,514,812
ARISTEIA CAPITAL, L.L.C. added 2,158,803 shares (+19.9%) to their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $56,344,758
WELLINGTON MANAGEMENT GROUP LLP removed 2,124,526 shares (-77.3%) from their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $55,450,128
DIMENSIONAL FUND ADVISORS LP removed 1,820,850 shares (-18.2%) from their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $47,524,185
QUBE RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGIES LTD added 1,435,399 shares (+559.9%) to their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $37,463,913

To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard. You can access data on hedge funds moves and 13F filings through the Quiver Quantitative API 13F endpoint.

$SM Analyst Ratings

Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $SM in the last several months. We have seen 1 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.

Here are some recent analyst ratings:

Raymond James issued a "Outperform" rating on 05/20/2026

To track analyst ratings and price targets for $SM, check out Quiver Quantitative's $SM forecast page.

$SM Price Targets

Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $SM recently. We have seen 11 analysts offer price targets for $SM in the last 6 months, with a median target of $37.0.

Here are some recent targets:

William Janela from Mizuho set a target price of $37.0 on 07/07/2026
Gabe Daoud from Truist Securities set a target price of $37.0 on 07/07/2026
Mike Scialla from Stephens & Co. set a target price of $52.0 on 07/07/2026
Leo Mariani from Roth Capital set a target price of $32.0 on 06/22/2026
John Freeman from Raymond James set a target price of $55.0 on 05/20/2026
Hanwen Chang from Wells Fargo set a target price of $32.0 on 05/18/2026
Biju Perincheril from Susquehanna set a target price of $31.0 on 05/11/2026

This article is not financial advice. See Quiver Quantitative's disclaimers for more information. Note that there may be inaccuracies due to mistakes in ticker-mapping, and other anomalies.