StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Southwestern Energy (NYSE:SWN)

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Southwestern Energy (NYSE:SWN) in a report issued on Wednesday. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the energy company’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on SWN. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Southwestern Energy from $8.00 to $8.24 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, January 12th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Southwestern Energy from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Mizuho raised shares of Southwestern Energy from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $6.00 to $9.00 in a report on Monday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Southwestern Energy from an underweight rating to a neutral rating and lifted their price target for the company from $7.00 to $8.50 in a report on Wednesday, December 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a hold rating and issued a $6.60 price target (down from $8.50) on shares of Southwestern Energy in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Southwestern Energy presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $7.86.

Southwestern Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SWN opened at $7.58 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $6.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $6.70. Southwestern Energy has a one year low of $4.57 and a one year high of $7.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.38 and a beta of 1.12.

Southwestern Energy (NYSE:SWN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The energy company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.04. Southwestern Energy had a net margin of 23.87% and a return on equity of 11.74%. The firm had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.29 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.26 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 49.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Southwestern Energy will post 0.71 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southwestern Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Southwestern Energy by 481.1% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 4,655 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 3,854 shares during the last quarter. Pingora Partners LLC purchased a new position in Southwestern Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Southwestern Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Southwestern Energy by 390.9% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 5,400 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 4,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southwestern Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Southwestern Energy

Southwestern Energy Company, an independent energy company, engages in the exploration, development, and production of natural gas, oil, and natural gas liquids (NGLs) in the United States. It operates through two segments, Exploration and Production, and Marketing. The company focuses on the development of unconventional natural gas and oil reservoirs located in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Louisiana.