SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. Acquires 7,000 Shares

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. bought 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was 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 ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

SM Energy Stock Performance

SM traded up $0.17 during trading on Thursday, hitting $32.54. 2,303,146 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,804,391. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $39.32 and its 200 day moving average is $41.61. SM Energy has a one year low of $32.17 and a one year high of $53.26. The firm has a market cap of $3.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.87 and a beta of 4.11. 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 (NYSE:SM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The energy company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.00 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $852.22 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $849.44 million. SM Energy had a net margin of 28.63% and a return on equity of 19.82%. As a group, equities analysts predict that SM Energy will post 8.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of SM Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Truist Financial raised their target price on SM Energy from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on SM Energy from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of SM Energy from $57.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on SM Energy from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.90.

Institutional Trading of SM Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in SM Energy during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 3,434.5% in 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 during the last quarter. Millburn Ridgefield Corp purchased a new stake in shares of SM Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $55,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,403 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of SM Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $61,000. 94.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.