35,400 Shares in SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Acquired by KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in SM Energy (NYSE:SM) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 35,400 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,372,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of SM. State Street Corp increased 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. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of SM Energy by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,682,093 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $142,718,000 after buying an additional 296,601 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of SM Energy by 1.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,693,372 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $107,675,000 after acquiring an additional 29,911 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,255,841 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $48,676,000 after acquiring an additional 32,803 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,234,890 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $47,864,000 after acquiring an additional 25,857 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

SM Energy Price Performance

Shares of SM opened at $29.42 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.37 billion, a PE ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 4.14. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $34.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.41. SM Energy has a 52-week low of $26.66 and a 52-week high of $53.26.

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

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 18th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 11.98%.

Insider Transactions at SM Energy

In other SM Energy news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. bought 7,000 shares of SM Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was acquired at an average price 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $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 can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on SM shares. Williams Trading set a $41.00 target price on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Truist Financial increased their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of SM Energy from $54.00 to $41.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Mizuho reduced their price target on SM Energy from $57.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $57.00 price objective on shares of SM Energy in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $48.00.

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.