Stifel Financial Corp Boosts Stock Position in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Stifel Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) by 42.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,697 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,660 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp’s holdings in SM Energy were worth $1,027,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Plato Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in shares of SM Energy by 461.9% in the 2nd quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 590 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in SM Energy in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in SM Energy by 3,434.5% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,025 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 996 shares in the last quarter. Millburn Ridgefield Corp purchased a new position in shares of SM Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of SM Energy by 3,897.2% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 1,403 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on SM shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of SM Energy from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Stephens boosted their price target on SM Energy from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on SM Energy from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on SM Energy from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.64.

SM Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SM opened at $37.15 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $42.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $43.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 3.52 and a quick ratio of 3.52. The company has a market capitalization of $4.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.19 and a beta of 4.15. SM Energy has a 1-year low of $34.76 and a 1-year high of $53.26.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.10. SM Energy had a return on equity of 19.62% and a net margin of 33.89%. The firm had revenue of $643.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $643.67 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.73 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that SM Energy will post 6.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 4th. Investors of record on Friday, October 25th were given a $0.20 dividend. This is an increase from SM Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 25th. SM Energy’s payout ratio is currently 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.