SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its stake in shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 611,121 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 1,679 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.53% of SM Energy worth $24,427,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have 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 acquiring an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in SM Energy in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 996 shares in the last quarter. Millburn Ridgefield Corp purchased a new position in shares of SM Energy in the third quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in SM Energy by 3,897.2% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 1,403 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

SM Energy Trading Up 1.0 %

SM stock opened at $37.54 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $42.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.24 and a beta of 4.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 3.52 and a quick ratio of 3.52. SM Energy has a fifty-two week low of $34.76 and a fifty-two week high of $53.26.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $1.62 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $643.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $643.67 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.73 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that SM Energy will post 6.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. 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 research report on Tuesday, December 17th. StockNews.com lowered SM Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. 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. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Stephens boosted their target price on SM Energy from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.64.

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.