SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Shares Sold by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC lessened its holdings in shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) by 44.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 111,476 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 87,788 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in SM Energy were worth $4,321,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SM. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of SM Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 3,434.5% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,025 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 996 shares during the period. Millburn Ridgefield Corp purchased a new stake in SM Energy during the third quarter worth about $55,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in SM Energy by 3,897.2% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 1,403 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in SM Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $61,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

SM Energy Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of SM opened at $40.59 on Wednesday. SM Energy has a fifty-two week low of $36.13 and a fifty-two week high of $53.26. The company has a market capitalization of $4.64 billion, a PE ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 4.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $40.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 3.52.

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were given 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 1.97%. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on SM Energy from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. TD Cowen upgraded SM Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $64.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Mizuho dropped their price target on SM Energy from $57.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated 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. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $57.00 target price on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.90.

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.