LSV Asset Management Buys 73,100 Shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

LSV Asset Management increased its stake in SM Energy (NYSE:SM) by 283.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 98,900 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 73,100 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management owned approximately 0.09% of SM Energy worth $4,275,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in SM Energy by 18.8% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 99,334 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $3,846,000 after acquiring an additional 15,691 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. grew its position in shares of SM Energy by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 46,029 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,782,000 after purchasing an additional 2,839 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of SM Energy by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,593,103 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $61,685,000 after purchasing an additional 64,781 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of SM Energy by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,509,379 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $213,326,000 after purchasing an additional 493,427 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its position in shares of SM Energy by 30.7% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 10,907 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $422,000 after purchasing an additional 2,565 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

SM Energy Stock Performance

SM Energy stock opened at $39.07 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market capitalization of $4.47 billion, a PE ratio of 6.12 and a beta of 4.19. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $44.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $46.75. SM Energy has a twelve month low of $34.13 and a twelve month high of $53.26.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The energy company reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $634.56 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $616.63 million. SM Energy had a net margin of 33.18% and a return on equity of 21.01%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.28 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that SM Energy will post 7.57 EPS for the current year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 19th were paid a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 19th. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $63.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $54.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of SM Energy from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of SM Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. upgraded shares of SM Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, SM Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $54.22.

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.