Algert Global LLC Has $586,000 Position in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Algert Global LLC reduced its stake in SM Energy (NYSE:SM) by 91.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 15,120 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 156,880 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC’s holdings in SM Energy were worth $586,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of SM Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $61,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of SM Energy by 51.0% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,179 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $84,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of SM Energy by 517.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,140 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $159,000 after acquiring an additional 3,470 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of SM Energy by 64.5% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,730 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $183,000 after acquiring an additional 1,854 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of SM Energy by 46.2% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,854 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $188,000 after acquiring an additional 1,533 shares in the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $45.00 to $33.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of SM Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $39.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $60.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at SM Energy

In related news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. acquired 7,000 shares of SM Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was bought at an average price of $32.36 per share, with a total value of $226,520.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,666 shares in the company, valued at $474,591.76. This represents a 91.31% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

SM Energy Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE SM opened at $23.15 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $2.65 billion, a PE ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 2.17. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $35.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 3.52. SM Energy has a 1 year low of $19.67 and a 1 year high of $50.77.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The energy company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.60 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $844.54 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $814.62 million. SM Energy had a net margin of 28.63% and a return on equity of 19.82%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 50.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.13 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that SM Energy will post 8.1 EPS for the current year.

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 18th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 17th. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.20%.

About SM Energy

SM Energy Company, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil, gas, and natural gas liquids in the state of Texas. It has working interests in oil and gas producing wells in the Midland Basin and South Texas. The company was formerly known as St.