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SM Energy CoLTS:0KZA +5.18%68 Piotroski F-Score is 3 as of Jul. 30, 2026, which is 50% below its 10-year median of 6.00. GuruFocus rates LTS:0KZA with a GF Score™ of 68/100 and a GF Value™ of $51.24 (Possible Value Trap). The stock has 10 warning signs investors should review. Among 976 Oil & Gas companies, SM Energy Co ranks worse than 79.1% on this metric.
Warning Sign:
Piotroski F-Score of 3 is low, which usually implies poor business operation.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
SM Energy Co has an F-score of 3. It is a bad or low score, which usually implies poor business operation.
The historical rank and industry rank for SM Energy Co's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:
LTS:0KZA'
s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 2 Med: 6 Max: 9
Current: 3
During the past 13 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of SM Energy Co was 9. The lowest was 2. And the median was 6.
SM Energy Co (LTS:0KZA) Piotroski F-Score Explanation
The developer of the system is Joseph D. Piotroski is relatively unknown accounting professor who shuns publicity and rarely gives interviews.
He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in accounting in 1989, received an M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1994. Five years later, in 1999, after earning a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan, he became an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago.
He wanted to see if he can develop a system (using a simple nine-point scoring system) that can increase the returns of a strategy of investing in low price to book (referred to in the paper as high book to market) value companies.
What he found was something that exceeded his most optimistic expectations.
Buying only those companies that scored highest (8 or 9) on his nine-point scale, or F-Score as he called it, over the 20 year period from 1976 to 1996 led to an average out-performance over the market of 13.4%.
Even more impressive were the results of a strategy of investing in the highest F-Score companies (8 or 9) and shorting companies with the lowest F-Score (0 or 1).
Over the same period from 1976 to 1996 (20 years) this strategy led to an average yearly return of 23%, substantially outperforming the average S&P 500 index return of 15.83% over the same period.
SM Energy Co Piotroski F-Score Related Terms
SM Energy Co Piotroski F-Score Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for SM Energy Co's Piotroski F-Score can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
LTS:0KZA vs CHRD, RRC, MTDR: Piotroski F-Score Comparison
For the Oil & Gas E&P subindustry, SM Energy Co's Piotroski F-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Piotroski F-Score data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
SM Energy Co Piotroski F-Score vs Oil & Gas Industry
For the Oil & Gas industry and Energy sector, SM Energy Co's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where SM Energy Co's Piotroski F-Score falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
*Note: If the latest quarterly/semi-annual/annual total assets data is 0, then we will use previous quarterly/semi-annual/annual data for all the items in the balance sheet.
Profitability
Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)
Net income before extraordinary items for the year divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
SM Energy Co's current Net Income (TTM) was 131.
==> Positive ==> Score 1.
Question 2. Cash Flow Return on Assets (CFROA)
Net cash flow from operating activities (operating cash flow) divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
SM Energy Co's return on assets of this year was 0.01487665. SM Energy Co's return on assets of last year was 0.12828106.
==> Last year is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)
Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)
SM Energy Co's gearing of this year was 0.60985319. SM Energy Co's gearing of last year was 0.35724754.
==> Last year is lower than this year ==> Score 0.
Question 6. Change in Working Capital (Liquidity)
Compare this year's current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) to last year's current ratio.
Score 1 if this year's current ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
SM Energy Co's current ratio of this year was 0.39042056. SM Energy Co's current ratio of last year was 0.57348828.
==> Last year's current ratio is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 7. Change in Shares in Issue
Compare the number of shares in issue this year, to the number in issue last year.
Score 0 if there is larger number of shares in issue this year, 1 otherwise.
SM Energy Co's number of shares in issue this year was 199. SM Energy Co's number of shares in issue last year was 115.
==> There is larger number of shares in issue this year. ==> Score 0.
Efficiency
Question 8. Change in Gross Margin
Compare this year's gross margin (Gross Profit divided by sales) to last year's.
Score 1 if this year's gross margin is higher, 0 if it's lower.
SM Energy Co's gross margin of this year was 0.34919743. SM Energy Co's gross margin of last year was 0.44520066.
==> Last year's gross margin is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 9. Change in asset turnover
Compare this year's asset turnover (total sales for the year divided by total assets at the beginning of the year) to last year's asset turnover ratio.
Score 1 if this year's asset turnover ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
SM Energy Co's asset turnover of this year was 0.42962266. SM Energy Co's asset turnover of last year was 0.46126801.
==> Last year's asset turnover is higher ==> Score 0.
Evaluation
Piotroski F-Score
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Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
SM Energy Co has an F-score of 3. It is a bad or low score, which usually implies poor business operation.
SM Energy Co (LTS:0KZA) has a Piotroski F-Score of 3 as of Jul. 30, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on SM Energy Co and its competitors. This is 50% below median its historical median of 6.00. Over the past decade, SM Energy Co's Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 2.00 to 9.00. According to the industry distribution chart, SM Energy Co ranks #772 out of 976 companies in the Oil & Gas industry, placing it in the top 79.1%.
Is SM Energy Co's Piotroski F-Score too high?
SM Energy Co's current Piotroski F-Score of 3 is 50% below median its 10-year median of 6.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 2.00 to a high of 9.00. The Oil & Gas industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. SM Energy Co's value of 3 is 40% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, SM Energy Co ranks #772 out of 976 companies in the Oil & Gas industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, SM Energy Co has a GF Score™ of 68/100 and is considered Possible Value Trap, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does SM Energy Co's Piotroski F-Score compare to CHRD and RRC?
According to the Oil & Gas industry distribution chart, SM Energy Co ranks #772 out of 976 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This places SM Energy Co in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. SM Energy Co's value of 3 is 40% below this benchmark. Historically, SM Energy Co's own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 2.00 to 9.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 6.00 vs. the industry median of 5.00, SM Energy Co has consistently been below the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Piotroski F-Score for an Oil & Gas company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Oil & Gas companies is 5.00, based on 976 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Piotroski F-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Piotroski F-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. SM Energy Co's current Piotroski F-Score of 3 is 40% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Piotroski F-Score mean?
A high Piotroski F-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on SM Energy Co and its competitors. For the Oil & Gas industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. SM Energy Co's current Piotroski F-Score is 3, which is 50% below median its own 10-year median of 6.00. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is SM Energy Co stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, SM Energy Co (LTS:0KZA) is currently considered Possible Value Trap. The stock's GF Value™ is $51.24, compared to a current price of $31.10 — trading 39.3% below its estimated fair value. The current Piotroski F-Score is 3, which is 50% below median its 10-year median of 6.00 and 40% below the Oil & Gas industry median of 5.00. SM Energy Co's overall GF Score™ is 68/100 with 10 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Piotroski F-Score calculated?
Piotroski F-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For SM Energy Co (LTS:0KZA), the current Piotroski F-Score is 3 as of Jul. 30, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is SM Energy Co (LTS:0KZA) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, SM Energy Co stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $31.10 is trading 39.3% below its estimated GF Value™ of $51.24.
GuruFocus considers SM Energy Co to be Possible Value Trap.
Key valuation signals for LTS:0KZA:
Piotroski F-Score: 3 (50% below median its 10-year median of 6.00)
GF Value™: $51.24 vs. price of $31.10 (39.3% below fair value)
Industry Position: 40% below the Oil & Gas median (#772 of 976)
No single metric tells the full story. See the LTS:0KZA stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
SM Energy Co is an independent energy company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil, gas, and NGLs in Texas and Utah. The Company operates in the oil and gas extraction industry, focused on exploration and production activities, onshore in the United States. Its portfolio is comprised of assets in the Midland Basin of West Texas, the Maverick Basin of South Texas, and the Uinta Basin of northeastern Utah.
68GF Score
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