Fisher Asset Management LLC Raises Stake in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) by 214.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 519,302 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 354,297 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC owned 0.45% of SM Energy worth $20,128,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Transactions at SM Energy

In related news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. purchased 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $32.36 per share, for a total transaction of $226,520.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 14,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $474,591.76. This trade represents a 91.31 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on SM shares. Mizuho lowered their target price 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. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of SM Energy from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price 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. Susquehanna lowered their target price 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. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $57.00 target price 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 given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, SM Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.90.

SM Energy Price Performance

SM Energy stock opened at $30.04 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. SM Energy has a 52-week low of $29.43 and a 52-week high of $53.26. The company has a market cap of $3.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 4.11. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $39.01 and its 200 day moving average is $41.30.

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

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. SM Energy’s payout ratio is presently 11.98%.

SM Energy Company 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.