Global Retirement Partners LLC Raises Position in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in SM Energy (NYSE:SM) by 51.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,179 shares of the energy company’s stock after acquiring an additional 736 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC’s holdings in SM Energy were worth $84,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SM. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 2,515.6% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,463,443 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $178,404,000 after buying an additional 4,292,793 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 267.4% during the third quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 391,107 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $15,633,000 after buying an additional 284,665 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 136.5% during the third quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 484,119 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $19,350,000 after buying an additional 279,417 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 1,375.8% during the third quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 172,000 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $6,875,000 after buying an additional 160,345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 1.9% in 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

SM Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:SM opened at $32.74 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $41.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 3.52. The firm has a market cap of $3.75 billion, a PE ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 4.11. SM Energy has a 1-year low of $31.80 and a 1-year high of $53.26.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The energy company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.00 by ($0.09). SM Energy had a return on equity of 19.82% and a net margin of 28.63%. The company had revenue of $852.22 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $849.44 million. On average, equities analysts expect that SM Energy will post 8.1 EPS for the current year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $53.00 price target (up previously from $51.00) on shares of SM Energy in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of SM Energy from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of SM Energy from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of SM Energy from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $57.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.90.

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.