Hodges Capital Management Inc. Has $5.53 Million Stake in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Hodges Capital Management Inc. lowered its stake in SM Energy (NYSE:SM) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 142,794 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 855 shares during the quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in SM Energy were worth $5,534,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in SM Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position 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 bought a new position in shares of SM Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 3,897.2% in 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 last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of SM Energy during the 4th quarter worth $61,000. Institutional investors own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

SM Energy Price Performance

NYSE:SM opened at $37.95 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 3.52. The company has a 50-day moving average of $41.02 and a 200-day moving average of $42.43. SM Energy has a 52 week low of $34.90 and a 52 week high of $53.26. The company has a market capitalization of $4.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.30 and a beta of 4.11.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $643.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $643.67 million. SM Energy had a net margin of 33.89% and a return on equity of 19.62%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.73 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that SM Energy will post 6.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on SM shares. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of SM Energy from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $57.00 price objective on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. TD Cowen raised SM Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $64.00 to $60.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. KeyCorp cut their price target on SM Energy from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $50.00 price objective on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.90.

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.