GAMMA Investing LLC Trims Holdings in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

GAMMA Investing LLC lessened its stake in SM Energy (NYSE:SM) by 23.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,426 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 1,636 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in SM Energy were worth $210,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of SM Energy by 47.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 250,218 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $10,002,000 after purchasing an additional 80,343 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new position in SM Energy in the third quarter worth about $259,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in SM Energy by 79.2% in the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 65,421 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,615,000 after buying an additional 28,920 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in SM Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $3,048,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in SM Energy by 144.6% during the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 22,357 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $894,000 after buying an additional 13,215 shares in the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SM Energy Price Performance

NYSE SM opened at $42.65 on Wednesday. SM Energy has a 1 year low of $34.76 and a 1 year high of $53.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.96 and a beta of 4.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 3.52. The business’s fifty day moving average is $41.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.89.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.10. SM Energy had a net margin of 33.89% and a return on equity of 19.62%. The company had revenue of $643.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $643.67 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.73 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that SM Energy will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.88%. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on SM shares. KeyCorp lowered their price target on SM Energy from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $50.00 target price on shares of SM Energy in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $53.00 price target (up from $51.00) on shares of SM Energy in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on SM Energy from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, SM Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.64.

SM Energy 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.