SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Stake Increased by Empirical Finance LLC

Empirical Finance LLC raised its stake in shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 24,739 shares of the energy company’s stock after acquiring an additional 605 shares during the quarter. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in SM Energy were worth $959,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp increased its stake in SM Energy by 1.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,287,815 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $251,324,000 after purchasing an additional 114,664 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of SM Energy by 2,515.6% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,463,443 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $178,404,000 after buying an additional 4,292,793 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in SM Energy by 1.1% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,693,372 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $107,675,000 after acquiring an additional 29,911 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in SM Energy by 0.7% in the third quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 1,792,573 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $71,649,000 after acquiring an additional 12,669 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 1.8% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,223,038 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $48,885,000 after purchasing an additional 22,152 shares during the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on SM Energy from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $53.00 price target (up previously from $51.00) on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Truist Financial raised their price target on SM Energy from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, KeyCorp lowered their target price on shares of SM Energy from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, SM Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.90.

SM Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:SM opened at $39.42 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $40.19 and a 200-day moving average of $42.09. The firm has a market cap of $4.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.51 and a beta of 4.11. The company has a current ratio of 3.52, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. SM Energy has a twelve month low of $36.13 and a twelve month high of $53.26.

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.03%. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.17%.

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.