Natixis Advisors LLC Raises Position in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in SM Energy (NYSE:SM) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 42,920 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 1,978 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in SM Energy were worth $1,664,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SM. Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new position in SM Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $55,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of SM Energy in the fourth quarter worth $61,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of SM Energy during the third quarter valued at $83,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of SM Energy by 51.0% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,179 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in SM Energy by 517.9% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,140 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $159,000 after buying an additional 3,470 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

SM Energy Price Performance

NYSE SM opened at $31.83 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. SM Energy has a 12 month low of $26.66 and a 12 month high of $53.26. The stock has a market cap of $3.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.77 and a beta of 4.14. The company’s 50 day moving average is $35.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.67.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The energy company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.00 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $852.22 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $849.44 million. SM Energy had a net margin of 28.63% and a return on equity of 19.82%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that SM Energy will post 8.1 earnings per share for the current year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.51%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on SM shares. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of SM Energy from $57.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $57.00 target price on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Raymond James lowered their price target on SM Energy from $59.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on SM Energy from $54.00 to $41.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on SM Energy from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. bought 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $32.36 per share, with a total value of $226,520.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 14,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $474,591.76. The trade was a 91.31 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.