Stock

SM Energy Company

SM
54
Oil & Gas Exploration & Production · Energy
Also trades as: 0KZA.L GBP 0.40 (+3.94%)
Price
$40.11
+1.69 (+4.40%)
Market Cap
$9.54B
Winston Score
54
Winston is curious
Mixed quality — meaningful strengths and weaknesses.
Data as of Oct 24, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026

§How the score breaks down

Quality
Strong
23/30
Growth
Mixed
7/20
Cash Flow
Good
6/10
Stability
Good
5/10
Valuation
Strong
8/10
Ownership
Weak
2/15
Dividends
Good
3/5

54 of 100 counted points = Winston Score 54.

Share count falling — buybacks

−7.0% over 4y

The company has reduced its share count over this period, returning value to shareholders through buybacks.

Diluted shares outstanding: 123.7M (2021) → 115.0M (2025)

§Winston Score History

The full picture

SM Energy is an oil and natural gas company. It finds oil and gas underground, pulls it out of the earth, and sells it. Its main products are crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. The company operates in two key areas in the United States: the Permian Basin in West Texas and the Midland Basin, plus assets in South Texas.

SM Energy makes money by selling the oil and gas it produces directly to refiners, pipelines, and energy traders. It is a mid-sized U.S. producer with a market cap around $7.4 billion, competing against much larger companies like ExxonMobil and Pioneer. Its competitive position depends heavily on keeping its drilling costs low and its acreage productive. The biggest risk the company faces is falling oil and gas prices, which it does not control — when commodity prices drop, revenue and profits can fall sharply even if the company is doing everything right operationally.

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+218.4% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Revenue accelerating

Reported EPS Growth

+154.5% YoY

Quarterly reporting periods ended:

30 Jun 2025: $1.76

30 Jun 2026: $4.48

Reported/statutory EPS, not adjusted or underlying earnings. One-off items can affect this figure. Provider rounding can affect the growth rate.

YoY Growth Rate

Reported EPS increased year over year

R&D Spend

$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (1%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

1.0%ownership

→ Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$676M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

→ Burn rate stable

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Revenue accelerating

SM Energy Company grew revenue 218% year-over-year and the growth rate is speeding up. That's the kind of momentum growth investors look for — the question is whether margins can follow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
77.8%
Premium pricing power — 77.8% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
59.8%
Excellent — 59.8% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
9.8%
Below par — 9.8% return on capital

ROIC between 5% and 15%. They earn 5 to 15 cents back per year on every dollar invested.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+77.5%
Fast-growing sales (+77.5% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
-45.4%
Earnings shrinking (-45.4% YoY)

Earnings per share down more than 10%. Either a bad year, or a real decline.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
3/8 quarters
Earnings rarely grow — volatile business

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
270%
Turns 270% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
-0.7%
Burning cash (-0.7%)

Free cash flow is negative. They are burning cash, not generating it.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
0.90
Moderate — manageable debt (0.90)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
2.54x
Tight — interest eats into profit (2.5x)

Interest coverage between 1 and 3. Profits cover interest, but with little room to spare.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
10.4x
Attractive valuation — P/E 10.4

P/E in the normal range. Price is roughly $15 for every $1 of yearly profit.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+5.4
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (10.4 → 5.0)

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Dividends

Dividend
Dividend Yield
2.50%
Moderate income — 2.50% yield

Standard yield zone for stable dividend payers. A meaningful piece of total return.

Dividend record
Dividend Growth
+7.5%
Dividend growing modestly (7.5% YoY)
Payout Ratio
18%
no trend
Pays out a modest share of profit and keeps the rest to reinvest. Room to keep paying through a weak year.

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