Quantbot Technologies LP Increases Stock Position in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Quantbot Technologies LP raised its holdings in SM Energy (NYSE:SM) by 102.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 51,505 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 26,109 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in SM Energy were worth $1,996,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new position in shares of SM Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of SM Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of SM Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $83,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in shares of SM Energy by 51.0% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,179 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of SM Energy by 517.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,140 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $159,000 after buying an additional 3,470 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. bought 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $32.36 per share, for a total transaction of $226,520.00. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

SM Energy Price Performance

SM opened at $30.68 on Monday. 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 has a 52-week low of $26.66 and a 52-week high of $53.26. The company has a 50 day moving average of $36.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.74. The company has a market cap of $3.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.59 and a beta of 4.14.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The energy company reported $1.91 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $849.44 million. SM Energy had a net margin of 28.63% and a return on equity of 19.82%. On average, analysts expect that SM Energy will post 8.1 earnings per share for the current year.

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.61%. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $59.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of SM Energy from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. StockNews.com lowered shares of SM Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Williams Trading set a $41.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target 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. Seven 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.00.

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.