Aberdeen Group plc Sells 340,129 Shares of SM Energy Company $SM

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc sold 340,129 shares of SM Energy in Q4, cutting its stake by 58.4%; it now owns 242,523 shares (~0.21% of the company) valued at $4.535 million.
• SM Energy reported Q4 earnings of $0.83 per share (beating the $0.73 estimate) while revenue fell 17.3% year‑over‑year to $704.9 million, and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 (3.1% yield).
• Analyst sentiment is mixed — several firms raised price targets (e.g., JPMorgan, Stephens) but consensus remains Hold with an average target of $33.31, and upcoming Q1 results on May 6–7 could increase short‑term volatility.

Aberdeen Group plc lowered its stake in shares of SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM - Free Report) by 58.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 242,523 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 340,129 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.21% of SM Energy worth $4,535,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of SM Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in shares of SM Energy by 316.7% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,200 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 912 shares during the last quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of SM Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of SM Energy by 220.6% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,430 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 984 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of SM Energy by 201.0% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,776 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 1,186 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.56% of the company's stock.

More SM Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting SM Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple sell‑side upgrades and estimate raises have pushed near‑term earnings expectations materially higher (KeyCorp lifted Q1–Q4 and FY2026/FY2027 EPS forecasts and carries an Overweight/$39 target), which supports a higher valuation if results track.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks notes rising earnings estimate revisions for SM, and SM was added to several Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) lists for April (general, income, and value‑style lists), highlighting momentum among quant/value screens — a reason some buyers may still be accumulating. Earnings Estimates Rising for SM Energy (SM) New Strong Buy Stocks for April 8th
• Positive Sentiment: SM clarified a debt‑tender process tied to the recent merger, which management says improves the post‑merger balance sheet and flexibility — this reduces a key financing/credit risk that had weighed on the stock. SM Energy Debt Tender Clarifies Post Merger Balance Sheet And Flexibility
• Neutral Sentiment: Roth MKM reaffirmed a "neutral" rating while raising its price target to $33 from $24 — the higher PT is constructive, but the neutral stance tempers upside expectations. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: SM scheduled its Q1 2026 results release and conference call for May 6–7; the approaching report is likely increasing short‑term volatility as traders position ahead of the print. SM Energy Schedules First Quarter 2026 Conference Call
• Neutral Sentiment: Proposed legislation (H.R.8034) would improve tax treatment for small oil & gas producers starting in 2027; it’s potentially positive for industry cash flow but remains early stage and uncertain. H.R.8034 Bill Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Consensus analyst coverage still reads as a "Hold" overall, which can limit broad institutional buying despite pockets of bullish upgrades. SM Given Consensus Rating of Hold
• Negative Sentiment: SM’s most recent quarter showed a Y/Y revenue decline and a revenue miss versus consensus, leaving some investors wary that upside will need to come primarily from margin expansion and higher commodity realizations. (See company recent results and MarketBeat summary.) MarketBeat SM Summary
• Negative Sentiment: SM had risen recently (Zacks noted momentum), and elevated intraday volume suggests profit‑taking and position‑rebalancing may be driving today’s sell‑off despite the constructive fundamental headlines. SM Energy Outpaces Stock Market Gains

SM Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SM opened at $28.75 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.69. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $25.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.04. SM Energy Company has a fifty-two week low of $17.45 and a fifty-two week high of $33.25. The firm has a market cap of $6.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.09 and a beta of 0.78.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.10. SM Energy had a net margin of 20.55% and a return on equity of 13.47%. The firm had revenue of $704.92 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $764.40 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.91 earnings per share. SM Energy's revenue for the quarter was down 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that SM Energy Company will post 8.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. This is a positive change from SM Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. SM Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 15.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SM has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of SM Energy from $35.00 to $29.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of SM Energy from $20.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Stephens upped their price target on shares of SM Energy from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of SM Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $40.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of SM Energy from $36.00 to $30.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, SM Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $33.31.

SM Energy Company Profile

SM Energy Company NYSE: SM is an independent energy firm engaged in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States. The company focuses on identifying and exploiting unconventional onshore basins, leveraging advanced drilling and completion techniques to optimize resource recovery. SM Energy's operations are supported by an integrated approach to reservoir management and strategic midstream partnerships, enabling efficient transportation and marketing of hydrocarbons.

The company's core asset areas include prolific basins such as the Permian, Eagle Ford, and the Rocky Mountain region.

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