William Blair Investment Management LLC Has $28.43 Million Holdings in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

William Blair Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) by 24.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 733,538 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 243,682 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in SM Energy were worth $28,432,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SM. Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new stake in SM Energy during the third quarter worth about $55,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in SM Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $61,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in SM Energy during the third quarter worth about $83,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 51.0% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,179 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,321 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $133,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SM Energy Stock Up 0.2 %

SM Energy stock opened at $30.32 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 0.55. SM Energy has a 52-week low of $26.66 and a 52-week high of $53.26. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $36.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $40.00. The firm has a market cap of $3.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 4.14.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last released its quarterly earnings results 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). SM Energy had a return on equity of 19.82% and a net margin of 28.63%. The firm had revenue of $852.22 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $849.44 million. Equities analysts predict that SM Energy will post 8.1 EPS for the current year.

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.64%. SM Energy’s payout ratio is 11.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on SM shares. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $57.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Raymond James reduced their price target on shares of SM Energy from $59.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of SM Energy from $54.00 to $41.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Williams Trading set a $41.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $57.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.00.

Insider Transactions at SM Energy

In other news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. acquired 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $32.36 per share, with a total value of $226,520.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 14,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $474,591.76. The trade was a 91.31 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.