Css LLC Il Trims Stake in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Css LLC Il cut its holdings in shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) by 27.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,671 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 12,661 shares during the quarter. Css LLC Il’s holdings in SM Energy were worth $1,305,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in SM Energy by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,632,255 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $179,546,000 after buying an additional 835,929 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,682,093 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $142,718,000 after acquiring an additional 296,601 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 40.1% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,683,131 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $103,998,000 after acquiring an additional 767,779 shares during the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of SM Energy by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 2,118,297 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $82,105,000 after purchasing an additional 42,297 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in SM Energy by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,449,483 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $56,182,000 after purchasing an additional 140,228 shares during the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SM Energy Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE SM opened at $23.71 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. SM Energy has a 52 week low of $19.67 and a 52 week high of $50.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.71 billion, a PE ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 2.17. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $25.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $34.40.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The energy company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.60 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $844.54 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.13 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that SM Energy will post 8.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 18th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.37%. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.20%.

Insider Transactions at SM Energy

In related news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. purchased 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $32.36 per share, for a total transaction of $226,520.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 14,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $474,591.76. The trade was a 91.31% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Williams Trading set a $41.00 price target on SM Energy in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Mizuho decreased their target price on SM Energy from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on SM Energy from $54.00 to $41.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 13th. KeyCorp cut their price target 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. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of SM Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, SM Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.92.

SM Energy Company Profile

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.