Caxton Associates LLP Makes New Investment in SM Energy Company $SM

Key Points

• Caxton Associates LLP has acquired a new stake in SM Energy Company, purchasing 147,041 shares valued at approximately $4.4 million, representing around 0.13% of the company's stock.
• Several large investors, including Captrust Financial Advisors and Deutsche Bank AG, have recently increased their holdings in SM Energy, contributing to 94.56% institutional ownership of the company.
• SM Energy reported earnings exceeding analyst estimates, with a net margin of 25.94% and a return on equity of 18.06%, though its stock has seen a 4.8% decline recently.

Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 147,041 shares of the energy company's stock, valued at approximately $4,404,000. Caxton Associates LLP owned approximately 0.13% of SM Energy at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 6,718 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $260,000 after acquiring an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 69.5% during the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,017 shares of the energy company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 417 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 6.3% during the first quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 8,688 shares of the energy company's stock worth $260,000 after buying an additional 516 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 2.5% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 21,258 shares of the energy company's stock worth $637,000 after buying an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 3.6% during the first quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 15,534 shares of the energy company's stock worth $465,000 after buying an additional 534 shares in the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on SM. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of SM Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. TD Cowen raised shares of SM Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of SM Energy from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of SM Energy from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of SM Energy from $33.00 to $29.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $42.50.

SM Energy Stock Down 1.7%

SM stock traded down $0.46 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $26.74. The company had a trading volume of 1,294,779 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,216,878. SM Energy Company has a 1 year low of $19.67 and a 1 year high of $46.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company has a market capitalization of $3.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 2.46. The company has a 50 day moving average of $27.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.25.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The energy company reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.27. SM Energy had a net margin of 25.94% and a return on equity of 18.06%. The company had revenue of $792.94 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $792.58 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. The company's revenue was up 25.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that SM Energy Company will post 8.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 4th. Investors of record on Friday, July 18th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 18th. SM Energy's payout ratio is presently 11.30%.

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.