Captrust Financial Advisors Takes $281,000 Position in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new position in shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 7,037 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $281,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in SM Energy by 461.9% during the second quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 590 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in SM Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in SM Energy by 3,434.5% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,025 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 996 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in SM Energy by 3,897.2% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 1,403 shares during the period. Finally, Archer Investment Corp boosted its position in SM Energy by 9,650.0% in the 2nd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 1,950 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 1,930 shares during the period. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

SM Energy Stock Down 0.4 %

SM opened at $40.43 on Friday. SM Energy has a one year low of $34.76 and a one year high of $53.26. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $4.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.65 and a beta of 4.14. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $43.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $44.01.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $643.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $643.67 million. SM Energy had a return on equity of 19.62% and a net margin of 33.89%. The firm’s revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.73 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that SM Energy will post 6.77 EPS for the current year.

SM Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 4th. Investors of record on Friday, October 25th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 25th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.98%. This is a boost from SM Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on SM. Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. upgraded SM Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $50.00 price objective on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of SM Energy from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 30th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $53.00 price objective (up from $51.00) on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $51.00.

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.