Balyasny Asset Management L.P. Sells 164,645 Shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Balyasny Asset Management L.P. reduced its position in SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Free Report) by 45.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 195,400 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 164,645 shares during the quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. owned approximately 0.17% of SM Energy worth $7,574,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its position in SM Energy by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 386,067 shares of the energy company's stock worth $14,964,000 after buying an additional 29,428 shares during the period. Aristeia Capital L.L.C. increased its stake in SM Energy by 105.8% in the fourth quarter. Aristeia Capital L.L.C. now owns 20,271 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $786,000 after acquiring an additional 10,422 shares during the last quarter. Comerica Bank increased its position in shares of SM Energy by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 119,356 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $4,626,000 after acquiring an additional 9,554 shares during the period. Gallo Partners LP bought a new stake in SM Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $930,000. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC bought a new stake in SM Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,184,000. 94.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SM Energy Stock Performance

SM Energy stock traded up $1.61 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $24.77. 3,237,395 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,952,679. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.83 billion, a PE ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 2.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 3.52. The business's 50-day moving average is $25.51 and its 200-day moving average is $35.06. SM Energy has a 12-month low of $19.67 and a 12-month high of $50.77.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The energy company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.60 by $0.16. SM Energy had a net margin of 28.63% and a return on equity of 19.82%. The company had revenue of $844.54 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $814.62 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.13 earnings per share. SM Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 50.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that SM Energy will post 8.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 18th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.23%. SM Energy's payout ratio is currently 11.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. bought 7,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was bought at an average price of $32.36 per share, with a total value of $226,520.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 14,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $474,591.76. This trade represents a 91.31% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Stephens cut their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $62.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on SM Energy from $45.00 to $33.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on SM Energy from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Raymond James reduced their target price on SM Energy from $59.00 to $40.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $39.00 to $24.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $44.00.

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.