For the quarter ended March 2025, SM Energy (SM) reported revenue of $844.54 million, up 50.9% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $1.76, compared to $1.41 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $821.97 million, representing a surprise of +2.75%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +10.00%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $1.60.

While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how SM Energy performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Average daily production - Total: 197.3 millions of barrels of oil equivalent versus the five-analyst average estimate of 196.49 millions of barrels of oil equivalent.
• Average daily production - Crude oil: 103.7 millions of barrels of oil compared to the 102.64 millions of barrels of oil average estimate based on four analysts.
• Average daily production - Natural gas: 404.2 millions of cubic feet versus the four-analyst average estimate of 397.64 millions of cubic feet.
• Average daily production - NGLs: 26.2 millions of barrels of oil versus the four-analyst average estimate of 27.49 millions of barrels of oil.
• Average realized price - Crude oil - including the effect of net derivative settlements per bbl: $70.87 versus $70.67 estimated by two analysts on average.
• Average realized price - Natural gas - including the effect of net derivative settlements per mcf: $3.50 versus $3.06 estimated by two analysts on average.
• Production - Crude oil: 9.3 MBBL compared to the 9.23 MBBL average estimate based on two analysts.
• Production - Total: 17.8 MBOE versus the two-analyst average estimate of 17.7 MBOE.
• Production - NGLs: 2.4 MBBL compared to the 2.48 MBBL average estimate based on two analysts.
• Average realized price - Natural gas - before the effect of derivative settlements: $3.30 versus the two-analyst average estimate of $3.12.
• Operating revenue- Oil, gas, and NGL production revenue: $839.62 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $823.02 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +50%.
• Operating revenue- Other operating income: $4.92 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $1.62 million.

View all Key Company Metrics for SM Energy here>>>

Shares of SM Energy have returned -25.3% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -0.7% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), indicating that it could underperform the broader market in the near term.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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